iAm the Stepsister
by Shadower-Sam
Summary: If you're looking for the same old Cinderella story where Sam is the blonde girl with a fairy godmother, don't click on this link! But if you're looking for action, adventure and romance, this is the story for you! Click here if you agree to "Seddie FTW"!
1. iWill Marry a Prince?

Once upon a time, there lived a rich widowed man who had a child named Carlerella. She was an adorable child and had everything she ever wanted. But her mother died when she was very young, so the widowed man thought that she needed a mother to take care of her. With that thought, he married a widower who carried a pair of twins named Sam and Melanie.

When the widowed man passed away, Carlerella's stepmother forced her to do all the chores while she pampers her pair of twins. As the years passed by, Carlerella developed a nickname, Carly. Whenever her stepfamily required her assistance, she would be called by her nickname.

Through all the abusing, Sam and Melanie learnt from their mother ways to abuse the poor child. But the reasons why they participated in the bullying were different.

Melanie is the smart twin and the more adored one among the two of them. She often learns faster than Sam when it comes to the arts. However, she never learnt how to fight like Sam. Melanie listens to her mother all the time and does what her mother tells her to do. But unlike Sam, her obedience was overwhelming and she never felt guilty about the things that she does to Carly. Whenever she does something 'right', her mother would praise her and she would get a reward. Through the bullying, she gains a sense of achievement.

Unlike Melanie, Sam only obeys her mother for food. If she refuses to go according to her mother's wishes, she would not have her meals. But sometimes, when that happens, Carly would sneak into her room and serve her food. Even so, the strong-fronted Sam would still act as though she would never hold gratitude for Carly. Although Melanie is good at everything about arts, Sam is good at everything about fights. She would get into fights because she didn't pay for her food even if she had the money. Her blunt and vicious personality is what makes people feel that she is different. But one boy thinks she's just amazing…

When the twins went out shopping for groceries one day, they met a fortune teller on the side of the road. Their mother was very superstitious, so she decided to let her daughters try it out.

"My dear, you are a beautiful young maiden. Your father passed away when you were still very young but you have found your wealth back through other means," the fortune teller read Melanie's palm, surprising Sam of what she had found.

The fortune teller then shuffled a pack of cards and placed them in an organized formation. She asked Melanie to put her palm on top of the card in the middle and concentrate about what she wants to know. Then, she opened the cards one by one in a certain order and made a face that seemed to say "You are going to lead a rich life" or something.

"Oh my," the fortune teller gasped. "My dear, you will lead life full of riches and gold!"

"Really?" Melanie exclaimed, her eyes as big as the crystal ball that the fortune teller has.

"But…" the fortune teller pretended to be afraid. Melanie seemed very interested in this issue as she kept pestering the fortune teller to reveal what the 'but' meant.

"But you need to get rid of a certain person in your life," the fortune teller started. "According to the cards, that person is a beautiful brunette who is diligent, caring, smart and kind. If you fail to get rid of her, she would hinder in your affairs and you will never be wealthy."

Melanie immediately understood who the person the fortune teller referred to was. "But how do I get rid of her?"

"Forbid her from leaving the place where she belongs," the fortune teller said. "If she leaves that place, her aura would disrupt whatever you want to achieve."

Then, it was Sam's turn. She was never superstitious, but her mother forced her to sit down or no meal for the day.

"Oh dear," the fortune teller started. "You, my dear, were forced to do things that have gone past your conscience. You only felt happy when you were relieved of the pressure that was on you."

Sam was shocked. She never thought that anyone would be able to guess how her life was. But, she felt a glare behind her. It has her mother. She was angry about how the fortune teller described the things that she had made Sam do, but she had no choice; she wanted to learn more about her child's future.

Once again, the fortune teller did some fancy card shuffling and laid out the cards in front of Sam. Sam did what she was told and the cards were revealed. The fortune teller's eyes were wide with shock.

"What! What!" Sam asked, anxious to know more about her future.

"Your highness!" the fortune teller stood up and took a bow.

"What?" the fortune teller's actions made Sam very confused, "What's going on? What are you doing?"

"Your highness," the fortune teller addressed Sam. "You will grow up to marry a prince and live a life of luxury and romance."

Sam was puzzled. What was going on? "Wait, I'm going to marry a prince?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Are there any strings attached?" Sam asked.

"In your case, there aren't," the fortune teller said. "It is confirmed that you would marry a prince in the future."

From then on, Sam became more confident of herself as she made frequent trips with to the market with Carly to make friends with the people. She knew that if she were to become princess, she would need the love of her people and Carly would be glad to help help when she needs advice.

"Me, a princess…" Sam thought. "No more old house, no more crazy mother forcing me to go against my wishes and no more troubles! I'll be free!"


	2. iMeet Freddie

Years later, Carly and Sam became very good friends. As they often go out for groceries together, they shared their jokes and had fun together. Since the fortune telling incident, they have become closer than sisters. No matter how much Melanie tried to get rid of Carly, Sam would be able to warn Carly before Melanie strike as she told Sam everything she wanted to do.

To thank Sam for her help, Carly always sneaks in extra food for her, even though her stepmother strongly discourages supper. She believed that supper would ruin Sam's figure, but Sam's eating habits have never affected her figure at all.

When Carly's stepmother wanted to abuse Carly, Sam would be dragged into this matter and forced to bully her as well. But Sam would only pretend to do it to convince her mother that she and Carly are not real friends just to make sure that they don't get punished for their friendship.

One day, when Carly and Sam went out together to the market as usual, they met someone very unusual.

"Help!" a boy cried as a thief was running past Carly and Sam. "My box! My box!"

With years of experience in all sorts of physical assault methods, Sam rushed to the rescue and pinned the thief down. She took the box and returned it to the boy who was crying for help. She put her hand out to the boy and asked, "Where's my reward?"

The boy looked puzzled at first, and then reached into his pocket to reveal a pocket watch which he gave Sam. Sam just raised an eyebrow and said, "I was just kidding. I don't want your stupid watch anyway."

The boy shrugged then placed the watch back into his pocket. After which, he let out his hand and tried to shake Sam's, but Sam was reluctant. "My name is… er… Frederick. You can call me Freddie."

"The name's Sam," Sam replied. "What's in that box that's so important to you?"

"Er, nothing," Freddie replied, flustered. "Hey, who's the girl behind you?"

Carly approached Freddie and introduced herself, "Hi, my name is Carly. I'm her stepsister."

"You guys are stepsisters?" Freddie was puzzled. "But you're like, inseparable!"

"Of course," Sam said. "We're stepsisters and we're best friends. Why? Are you jealous?"

Freddie shook his head, "No, who would be? Anyway, I have to go now; I'll see you guys around." With that, he left with his box in the direction where he came from while Sam and Carly continued with their grocery shopping.

No one knew the true identity of the boy. But as soon as he reached his destination, someone who knew him recognized him immediately.

"Prince Fredward!" the Grand Duke cried. "Where were you? We were all so worried that something had happened to you!"

"I'm fine, Grand Duke," he said. "Relax; I just went out for a walk."

"Oh dear," the Grand Duke cried. "What are you wearing, young prince! You look just like a commoner!"

"Chill," the prince replied. "I have to wear a disguise if I want to be out on the streets and avoid being assassinated, rite? Besides, I had to go and collect the rings. Father said that he needed them tonight."

"The rings are not as important as you are your highness. We can always get one of the guards to collect them. You don't always have to do things by yourself. We were worried sick when you disappeared."

The young prince left the hallways of the palace and proceeded to his father's quarters. He placed the box on the table and left the room to get ready for the ball that night. His father had organized a ball to celebrate his return and invited all eligible maidens in the country. Carly, Sam and Melanie were all invited.

"Oh my god!" Melanie screamed. "It's an invitation from the palace!"

"Let me see it! Let me see it!" her mother took the invitation away from her and opened the envelope. "By royal decree, all eligible maidens in the country are to attend the ball tonight to celebrate the return of the prince."

"The prince?" Melanie asked. "He'll be there?"

"Relax," Sam replied. "It's just the prince."

"JUST the prince?" Melanie exclaimed. "How can you say that? He's the prince! He's smart, athletic, handsome and rich! Tonight at the ball, we will meet and he will fall in love with me at first sight!"

"Yeah, right!" Sam commented. "How do you plan on doing that?"

"You'll see!" Melanie said. "Mom, can we go to town to get new dresses?"

"Sure, my dear," their mother replied. "Carly, you're to stay home when we're out, you understand?"

Carly had no choice but to agree. Before the group of three left the house, Sam paid a visit to her.

"Carly?" Sam called out to the kitchen. "You there?"

"Yes?" Carly replied.

"Don't worry about your dress," Sam assured her. "I'll give you the dress that mom buys for me. You know I don't like fluffy skirts and pink ribbons."

"But what are you going to wear for tonight?"

"I'll probably be sitting out on the ball," Sam replied. "You know I don't really like to mix around with the crowd."

"Oh, thank you," Carly said, tears filling her eyes as she hugged Sam. "You're the best stepsister anyone can ever have!"

"I know," Sam joked. "I have to go now or mom will suspect me."

With that, Sam left to join her mother and sister, leaving Carly alone in the house.


	3. iGet a Dress

Sam's POV

"Mom," I grunted. "I hate this dress."

"But I believe it looks good on you," mom replied. She's always trying to get me to wear dresses that she thinks will look good on me. When I try to resist, she would either say that she's doing things for my own good, or I would not be getting dinner.

"Mom," I called again. "If this looks good on me, I'm sure it would look better on Melanie. She hasn't even tried any of the dresses yet."

"Hm, you're right," she agreed. "Come here, Melanie. Try this on, and this… and this."

With that, mom took a few more dresses and pushed Melanie into the fitting room. I tried to run away while she was distracted, but she noticed me and pulled me back to her side.

"And you," mom pointed at me. "Don't even think about it." She tossed a few more dresses and pushed me into the fitting room beside the one Melanie was in.

While I was fitting in all the dresses, I remembered that I was supposed to get one for Carly. As I stood in the room and thought about all the dresses I have tried and how each would look on Carly, I realized that the first one mom tossed me was the perfect dress for her. The deep pink strapless dress with jewels on the end of the skirt would compliment her curves and her skin tone.

When I got out from the fitting room, I ransacked the entire store to find that the dress was in Melanie's arms all along. I took it from her and raced to mom, telling her that I wanted that dress.

"But it's mine," Melanie protested, unhappy that I took the dress that I rejected before. "You were the one who didn't want it and now that I've chosen it out of so many dresses, you want it back?"

"What?" I replied. "I didn't like it before, but I like it now."

Mom was elated that I finally thought it through and chose a dress for the ball, so she decided to give in to me. I was so excited to tell Carly about the awesome dress that I got for her that I almost told mom and Melanie about my plans. Luckily, those words never escaped my lips.

Later that night, before 'we' left for the ball, I brought the dress to Carly.

"Oh my god!" Carly was elated. "This dress looks gorgeous!"

"I know," I replied. "Do you like it? I was hoping that you wouldn't mind that it was kind of second-hand since Melanie and I tried it on before and due to the time constraints, we didn't manage to wash it."

"Wouldn't mind? Of course! In fact, I love it so much that I wouldn't even care if you got it from the garbage can outside!"

"Really?" I was glad that she liked it. Looking at the face that she was giving me was the best return I could ever get from her. As soon as I was about to return to my room, Carly called for me.

"Sam?" Carly called.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"There's something I want to give you," she said. With that, she pulled out a box from under her bed and gestured for me to sit by her side. "I made this today while you guys went out shopping. It took me quite a long time but it's worth it."

I opened the box to find a white dress that was of knee-length, strapless with a sash across the waist. I was caught speechless as I opened my mouth, but no words came out from it. When I regained my composure, I thanked her.

"It's beautiful," I said. "But why did you make me get one for you if you are so good at making dresses? You could have made one for yourself!"

"But if I made a dress for myself, I wouldn't have an excuse for you to go to the ball, would I?" she grinned. "I expected you to sit out on this one."

I gave her a big hug and thanked her. "You're the best stepsister anyone can ever have," I said.

"You too," Carly returned the compliment.

Soon, the both of us got ready for the ball and were about to leave. But when Melanie saw Carly in the dress that I had, she grew jealous of her.

"You!" she screamed. "Return me my dress!"

Melanie started tearing the dress into shreds, leaving Carly defenseless and helpless. As soon as she was done, mom gestured for us to go. Carly had no choice but to return to her room, crying.

"Wait, I forgot something," I lied as I ran upstairs. When I reached my room, I opened the drawer at my bedside and took the box that had lain in that drawer for years. Then, I raced to Carly's room and knocked on her door.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Carly sobbed. "Shouldn't you be leaving by now?"

"Yes, but before I go, there's something I have to give you," I handed her the box. She was still unsure if she should take it, but I insisted that she did. She held onto the box and hesitated about it at first, but then I started rushing her, using the ball as an excuse. She then opened the box and her face turned from sad to glad.

"Sam!" she shrieked. "That's your…"

"I know," I interrupted her. "My mum bought it for me last year. You know I never liked it."

Carly changed into the dress as I waited for her outside the door. In a matter of seconds, she was out. She was gorgeous; the colorful dress with a jeweled belt, beaded straps and frilly ends would compliment her curves and made her look beautiful. It just occurred to me that this dress looked better on her than before.

"Now, it's time for the ball…"


	4. iFeel a Spark

Freddie's POV

Girls were starting to pour into the ballroom. They were in fancy dresses that looked about the same when seen from afar. I was really tired from all the chasing in the morning and wanted to sit out on this ball, but father insisted that I attend it. I really don't understand him.

"Father," I called. "Do I really have to attend this?"

"Yes, my son. It's for your own good. You're already a big boy now. It's time you saw the world as it is supposed to be; full of fancy dresses and governmental issues, not hunting and shooting!" father exclaimed. "Your mother would have said the same words to you if she was around."

"Yes, father," I remember the time when mother took great care of me and never forgotten to give me the best I could have received from the palace. I used to be sick of her constant nagging, but now, I just miss her. "Where's Gibby?"

"Oh," the Grand Duke replied. "Gibby's in the bathroom."

I raced to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Hey Gibson!"

"I'm done, Benson!" Gibby responded. "Why are we being so formal?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I guess it's kind of funny calling each other by our surnames? We've been best friends since preschool, fun is inevitable."

"True, true…" Gibby replied. "Hey, Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I borrow your suit? I soiled mine at the buffet," Gibby requested. "I'll return it to you after I wash it, I promise."

"Okay," I agreed. "You're lucky the tailor made one that was a size bigger!"

"Thanks!" Gibby thanked me. His face was bright with joy as he ran into my room and opened my closet. Typical Gibby…

As soon as Gibby was done changing, we headed down to the ballroom. It was interesting to find many girls in the ballroom, but since most of the guards were also invited, about one third of the girls were taken. I didn't mind though, I was even glad that they were occupied; I didn't like parties as much as they do.

After just fifteen minutes, the entire ballroom was almost flooded with people. Good thing the ballroom was designed to hold twenty thousand people, or we would have to open the concert hall for them too.

As we strolled across the room, a girl caught Gibby's eyes. She was a brunette who was wearing a colorful pinkish dress and a purple headband. As we approached her, I recognized her. She's Carly, the stepsister of the girl who helped me get the rings back from the robber that morning. If she finds out that I am royalty, she would definitely try to please me so that she would be princess or something.

"Gibby," I called. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure, man," he replied, and then I whispered the plan into his ear. "What? You want me to…"

"Shhh…" I cried. "Don't tell anyone about this. I just don't want them to find out."

"Okay," he said. "Leave this to me."

We approached the girl and she immediately recognized me. "You're Frederick, right?"

"No, he's Fredwa…" Gibby almost spilled the beans, but I stepped on his toes and managed to stop him before he told her about me.

"Where's Sam?" I asked, curious about the location of my savior; I wanted to thank her properly for helping me.

"She's somewhere around the ballroom," Carly replied. "You may be able to find her near a buffet table."

I raced there to search for her while Gibby continued with his 'mission'. As the ballroom was rather huge, we actually brought in close to about ten caterers to cater at the ball. But that's not the worst thing that could happen. The worst is the part that the ten caterers have stationed their buffet tables at the sides of the ballroom. This meant that I would have to run around the perimeter of the ballroom.

After searching through seven of the buffet tables, I finally found her. She was wearing a white dress with a black sash across the waist. Somehow, she looked different. "Sam!"

"You are…" she tried to remember.

"Frederick," I replied. "This morning… the robbers… you helped me?"

"Oh yeah," she remembered. "You're Freddie. What are you doing here anyway? You're one of the royal guards or something?"

I started to engage in my plan. "No, no, no, no, no… I am the prince's best pal."

"That means you've met the prince?" she asked. "You know, I may sound crazy but, a fortune teller once told me that I would marry your pal in the future. I don't really believe her because she said that my sister would be rich and wealthy in the future."

"Really?" I confirmed with her. I'm not superstitious or anything, but I think I liked the sound of that. "Have you met him?"

"No," she replied, disappointed. "But it would be cool to meet him. Do you think you can bring me to see him?"

"Well, sure." I replied, even though I don't feel very good about it. "He's right there with your sister."

"Stepsister," she corrected me, and we strolled as we went on a search for Carly and Gibby. While we were searching for them, we had a little chit-chat. The ballroom was huge, so it was natural that the chat had lasted for about fifteen minutes.

"So, your mother passed away when you were fifteen?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I miss her a lot."

"I wish my mother died when I was fifteen," she said. "And I'm sure that I wouldn't miss her at all."

"Believe me, you'll miss her."

Throughout the entire conversation, I tried very hard to evade the questions that she had about my family. I don't want her to find out that I was actually the prince. Then, we found the couple. They were having a slow dance with the music. Even though Sam thought that her husband-to-be was dancing with her stepsister, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she was smiling.

"I'm sorry," I knew she was trying to hide her feelings.

"For what?" she asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But Gibby…" I pointed to her.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she breathed deeply. "If he's fated to be mine, he'll be. I guess we're not fated at all, and I guess the fortune teller was a phony anyway."

I felt something, something close to sympathy, but it wasn't. I felt sad with her. I felt something spark between us, but I guess she didn't feel it.

"Wanna dance?" I asked.

"Sure," she replied. "Thanks."

"Huh?" I was puzzled.

"For helping me wake up from my dream," she replied sadly. "I guess it's time I returned to reality."

I smiled. "Don't worry, your 'dream' may not be over yet."

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! You guys were awesome :D**  
**If you guys want to know what Carly, Freddie and Sam were wearing for the ball, you can go to my profile page and find some links that will help you understand the clothes they were wearing.**


	5. iAm Sorry

Sam's POV

The clock strikes 12, it's time for Carly to leave the ballroom. I hope she doesn't get caught by mom for attending the ball.

Earlier, before I left, I made sure that Carly would be able to come with us on the carriage. But the only way to do that was to get mom and Melanie on the carriage first, distract them, and then Carly would be able to sit on the back of the carriage. It was unfair for her, but that was the only way for her to come.

Once we arrived at the palace, Carly would hide behind a bush while the rest of us enter. I lied to mom that I had to find a toilet but I was actually searching for Carly to make sure that she would be okay. When I found her, I told her that she had to leave by midnight, just in case mom decides to leave that early. She agreed and the both of us entered the palace together. I hope she's alright…

Later that evening, at the time of 1am, mom decided to leave the place. It takes approximately forty-five minutes to reach home on foot, but only five minutes on the carriage. I was afraid that Carly had lost her way, so I kept looking out for her throughout the entire night.

When we reached home, mom called for Carly. When she didn't reply, I was really afraid that she had not reached home yet, but luckily, after a few calls, she came down the stairs.

"Yes, stepmother?" she responded.

"What took you so long?" mom asked, suspicious of her.

"I was… in the toilet," she replied. "I came down as soon as I heard you call."

"I see," mom said. I breathed a sigh of relief as mom let her off. I was really afraid that the truth will be unveiled, but now that everything was over, I was glad that the plan had worked.

Once we were dispersed, I returned to my room and changed. Now that the entire thing was lifted off my mind, I started thinking about the night. It was a fun night, but I felt confused. Ha! To think that I had always believed the fortune teller! I should have known; I was only ten that year. How could it even be possible that a fortune teller could tell my future by merely reading my palm and playing with some cards?

Sigh, if only I could become princess. Not that I liked Prince Gibby and all, but it would have been cool to be freed from all this bizarre happenings, right? I would never have to go against my conscience again, and I would be able to do whatever I want, wear whatever I want, and be whoever I want. Sigh, I guess it's time to wake up to reality. I would never become princess.

After changing, I heard a knock on the door. It was Carly.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hi," she replied. "You okay? You didn't seem very happy when you came back."

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I was just thinking."

"Tell me about it, maybe you'll feel better," Carly smiled sweetly at me.

"Well," I started. "Remember I told you that a fortune teller read my palm and played with some cards and told me that I would become princess in the future?"

"Yeah?" she urged me to continue.

"Today," I sighed. "I saw you with the prince. You guys were dancing and having so much fun."

She looked down, feeling sorry about it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"No," I assured her. "It's okay. We can never force love. I could see his eyes on you. He looked happy, blessed, and blissful; you guys are meant for each other."

"But I…" she tried to comfort me.

"It's okay, I understand," I said. "I don't even like him that way, I just feel disappointed that the things that I have always believed in turned out to be false. It's a believer thing."

"Still, I'm sorry," Carly apologized again. "But I'm sure that you will be able to find the right man that will love you forever."

We shared a hug and she returned to her room.

The next morning, I woke up early to go to town to get some fresh air with Carly before mom and Melanie woke up. We were having so much fun talking about the previous night that we almost tripped over a banana peel. Carly was telling me about how romantic the prince was and how she managed to get home that quickly.

It turns out that Carly ran as fast as she could to reach home early so that she would be able to get everything ready and make sure that she wouldn't be suspected of attending the ball. But while she was running, one of her shoes fell out on the stairs of the palace, while the other one was kept under her bed.

While we were having a chat, our attention was caught by a new store right at the end of the street. We've always walked past this street, but I was suddenly interested in the new store. I begged Carly to go there, and she agreed to it after a few persistent cries.

"The Princess Getaway," I read the signboard. "Hmm… interesting name…"

"Welcome to the store, how may I help you?" that voice sounded so familiar. It was Freddie.


	6. iThink I Just Fell in Love

Sam's POV

"Freddie?" I tried to confirm if my eyesight was failing me. Freddie looked at me and then at Carly, then back at me. He seemed happy that we came, but disappointed at the same time. I wonder what he was thinking about.

"Carly! Sam!" he responded. "How did you guys get here?"

"We were having our morning walk," Carly replied. "Then we saw your fabulous store and we decided to take a look around here."

"Erm, Carly?" Freddie asked. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure," she agreed. They both walked to a corner of the room and started talking about something that seemed rather important.

"Really?" Carly confirmed loudly.

"Shh…" Freddie got Carly to calm down. It seems that no one wants me to learn of this little secret. As I approached the pair, the last sentence I heard was, "Don't tell Sam about this." Sheesh, I guess I'm really not invited.

"Er, since I'm not invited here, I think I should just go home," I said sadly. "Bye Freddie, see you later Carl's."

"Wait!" Freddie yelled. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Sure," I turned back to face him.

"I er… I…" for once, I have never seen him so tongue-tied before. What is wrong with this boy? "I…"

"Get on with it already!" I yelled. "Sorry, I was just being impatient."

"I… I… I like…" I gestured for Freddie to continue, but he just keeps stammering. "I like… the dress you wore yesterday, yeah."

"Erm, thanks," boys are so weird sometimes.

"Sam," Carly calls. "I think we have to go now, it's getting really late."

"Bye Freddie," Carly greeted.

"Bye," I said. "See you around."

"Yeah, see you," Freddie replied. He seemed to be disappointed and confused. Boys, they're always so hard to understand.

When Carly and I reached home, mom and Melanie just woke up, so we had to enter the house separately to prevent suspicion. Since Carly is more important in terms of utility to my mom and Melanie, I decided to let her enter the house first.

About fifteen minutes after she entered the house, it was my turn.

"Sam," mom called for me. "Where did you go this morning?" She was sitting on the couch with her right leg upon her left, looking as though she was the queen of the land.

"I went to Ridgeway High School to meet up with my friends and have a little chat," I lied. "You know, it's been such a long time since we met each other. I thought that a little meet-up session wouldn't hurt."

"Was Rebecca Berkowitz there?" she was suspecting me. I knew some things about psychology from the school counselor, so I decided to try it.

"Of course not," I replied. "I didn't even invite her. If she knew that I was the one organizing this session, she may just take the chance to have her revenge on me for making her scapegoat."

"Well," mom seemed convinced. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but if I catch you with more evidence next time, you will be in for punishments. You can go back now."

I raced back into my room as fast as I could before she calls me back for anything more.

A week as passed since the incident. My mom now wants me to attend some kind of blind date session since she feels that I am unattractive and uncouth. Yes, it's true. I don't really care about it anyway; I mean, no one would ever fall for such a person like me, right? And if fate wants me to be with someone, I'll end up with him no matter what. So, what for waste so much time in such dates?

Mom first brought me to 'Groovy Smoothie' for the date. That place looked pretty cool, but too bad the only good stuff there was the smoothies. Don't even think about trying the food on sticks. Seriously, don't.

"Remember, no spitting, no eating loudly, no flossing, no pinching food and last but not least, no fighting," mom warned me. She's such a nag.

"Okay, okay," I assured her. "Who is he and what is his name anyway?"

Mom seemed suspicious when she was about to mention him. "He doesn't really like people mentioning his name, but I heard that he owns a huge company and he knows the prince. His name is Pete."

The prince… Sigh, I guess all these talk about the prince has relived memories about the ball as my soul drifted away into the time of the ball, where beautiful girls and handsome boys were dancing on the dance floor, where I was strolling with Freddie in search of the prince, and where Carly and the prince were having the time of their lives romantically.

"Sam," mom cried. "He's here, he's here!"

"Good afternoon, ma'am," the boy greeted. "Good afternoon, Sam."

"What's up, Pete?" I greeted. Mom stared at me, giving me a rather displeased look.

"Good afternoon," my mom greeted. "Take a seat, Pete." My mom gestured to the seat beside me and Pete took the chance to get closer to me. I didn't really feel comfortable with him at first and tried to test his patience by doing all the things that my mother forbade me to do.

"Sam," mom stepped on my toes. "Behave…"

"Fine," I gave in while Pete just laughed. "What are you laughing at?"

"Sam," he called me. "You're hilarious."

I blushed. "Really? No one has ever said that before."

"How can that be possible for such a beautiful girl like you," he complimented. "You should be receiving compliments every day."

My mom saw what was happening and decided to step aside and return home, so as to not play 'gooseberry'. Throughout the date, the only thing I did was blush and blush and blush. I didn't even have the chance to ask about his personal background. I guess he is the first guy who has ever made my heart beat so fast…


	7. iGive Sam a Makeover

Freddie's POV

Weeks have passed since Carly and Sam visited he store. I remember that on that day, I was passing a very important message to Carly and Sam was left out. She wasn't allowed to know about it. I know that it seems unfair to her but I was ordered by royal decree not to reveal the secret to her.

I was supposed to open the store in town to help my pal Gibby in his search for his 'mysterious girl from the ball'. I knew that she was Carly, but I didn't know where she lived. So, I decided to open the store in hopes that she may pass by one day and we would be able to find her.

On that day, I told Carly about everything. My background, Gibby's background and my motives; I wasn't supposed to let Sam in on the information, no matter how much I wanted to.

But one day, Sam came to visit the store, but she came alone.

"Hey Freddie," Sam greeted, she looked really happy. "How's business?"

"As usual," I replied. "You look happy today, what's up?"

"Well," she started. "I think I'm in love…"

I had the shock of my life. She's in love? How could that be? It's not that she's not attractive, but why would anyone catch her attention?

"Who is that guy?" I asked in an angry tone. Seeing that she's puzzled and confused about my behavior, I had to come up with another approach immediately. "I mean, who's the unlucky guy?"

She got angry, "What do you mean by that? Do you mean to say that I am not fit to fall in love? And to think that I once thought you were my best friend!"

"No, no, no," I tried to correct my sentence. "I'm sorry; I'm just not myself lately."

She sighed after hearing that and apologized too. I've never seen her so 'out of character' before, I guess she's really changed after meeting that boy she likes.

"Anyway," she started again. "I came to ask you for advice."

"Advice? What do you need advice for?" I became confused. "You're doing well, you have a great sister…"

"Stepsister," she corrected me again.

"Alright, stepsister… And you are now in love!" I continued. "What more do you need in your life?"

"Well, for one, I need your advice with boys," she said. "I'm currently dating this guy named Pete and I really want to do something nice for him as a surprise for his birthday next week."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…" I tried to piece my memory together. "Your boyfriend's name is Pete?"

"Yes, and what's with the wait? Five times?" she asked.

My mind drifted off to what happened five years ago, where I was living in the palace, far away from here. You see, I may be a prince, but I'm not the rightful prince of this land. Prince Gibson, or Gibby, is.

When I was young, Pete and I met on the streets. He was a street rat then. He saved my life when I was about to get run over by a horse, so father and mother granted him whatever he wanted. From then on, we were very good friends. But one day, he took everything away from me. At the age of ten, he took away my father's throne. At the age of eleven, he took away our family fortune. At the age of thirteen, he took away my friends and at the age of fifteen, he took away my mother.

The only reason why I was able to survive was Gibby. He made me prince along with him. When we first met, I thought he was weird. But after we spent some time together, I just realized that he's a very good friend, someone who will always stay by your side and help you no matter what. Soon after, his parents passed away due to an accident. My father was made king by Gibby and we continued running the kingdom as it is right now.

"Freddie?" Sam called. "Freddie, you alright?"

"Oh," I snapped back into reality. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where were we?"

"We were talking about Pete," she replied.

"Oh yes," I remembered. "When is his birthday, again?"

She looked puzzled, "It's next Wednesday. Why are you so interested in him all of a sudden? Do you know him?"

"Longer than I've known you," I replied. "We've known each other since we were eight years old."

"Well, that's great!" she was very excited. "You can help me with my mission then!"

"What?" I was shocked. Oh well, since she doesn't know about what Pete has done to me in the past, I'll just leave it this way. I don't want to hurt her by letting her know that the one that she's hot over heels for is some sinister guy who almost ruined my life.

Since I had promised her about helping her, we got started with clothes. My store had many beautiful clothes and those were coincidentally of her size. We picked a dress, some jewelry and we were almost ready to go.

"You need some lessons," I stated. We were having lunch after the busy day.

"Lessons?" she asked, still gnawing on those ribs. "Ah… This is good ribs…"

I stared at her, wondering if I should give her my honest opinion. "Apparently, you don't really leave a very good impression on others when you're eating like that."

"Well, as long as Pete thinks I'm okay, I'm good to go," she ignored my comments. "I'm going on fine anyway."

"But you talk while you're still gnawing on ribs!" I yelled. "That's just really bad manners, and it really gives people a very bad impression of you."

She sighed, "Okay, fine. But you'll have to give me a crash course. I have to return home early today to prepare for Pete's birthday surprise."

Sigh, she just had to say that. Doesn't she know how I feel about her? I guess she'll never find out unless if I confess, eh? But guess what, I'm not saying anything till the time is right…


	8. iDon't Want to See Him Again

Sam's POV 

"First, no talking while eating," Freddie instructed.

"What? Why?" I expressed my displeasure as he took away my ribs. "I'm perfectly fine talking and eating at the same time."

Freddie frowned. "But you do know that doing that makes you less attractive."

"Well, do I look attractive now?" I asked playfully as I turned my head and my eyes met his. We shared a moment together, but I snapped out of it and took the chance that he was still feeling awkward to grab the ribs. "Looks like I won again, eh?"

He snickered. "You may have won this time, but we'll see next time..." He walked away with his smoothie, paused in his footsteps and turned back, "We'll continue the next lesson next time. But make sure you remember rule number one!"

I never knew that his eyes were so... brown... Wait, wait a second. What am I thinking? Argh, must be the ribs that's messing up with my head...

One week has passed since the first 'Mannerism Lesson' from Freddie. A few more days and it'll be Pete's birthday. I've been preparing the huge surprise for him but up till now, Freddie has been calling the shots. He's been helping me with the preparation, but he's kind of picky about things.

"You'll have to wear this," he tossed me a pink dress.

I looked at it in disgust, "Seriously? But it's a.. dress..."

He raised an eyebrow, "Exactly, don't you want to look your best?"

"Of course," I stated. "But I don't have to wear a dress, right? It's not the type of clothes I would wear."

He turned towards me and grabbed me by the shoulders, "Don't worry, you'll look great in it. Besides, you looked gorgeous at the prince's ball."

I blushed as he looked right into my eyes. We seemed to have been caught in a trance before the shop keeper came and recommended Freddie more dresses.

"These blue ones would match your girlfriend's eyes perfectly," she recommended us. We blushed, then Freddie tried to clear the misunderstanding.

"She's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend of mine," he said. For a moment there, I could have sworn I saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes... Those deep... brown eyes...

Hey, girl. Snap out of it! What's wrong with you? First during the 'no talking while eating' lesson, and now this? Ugh...

That evening, we chose a teal blue dress with lots of ruffles and a pair of brown heels. I've never worn heels before, but Freddie insisted that I would look good in those, so I agreed. When I was trying them out, I was falling half the time. But luckily, Freddie was there to help me get back on my feet whenever I almost fell.

Suddenly, I felt like I was in safe hands. Warm hands. Caring hands. Freddie's hands.

"Thanks," I blushed heavily.

"You're welcome," his sweet smile warmed my heart. "I think it's time we take a break. I bet all this practising has made you tired."

I joked, "Don't forget hungry!"

"I'll go grab you some food," he said as he walked away. "You go change and we'll meet back here."

"Sure," I replied.

As I took off those devilish heels, someone called me from behind.

"Sam!" he called.

I turned around to find that it was... "Pete?" I was shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I was just walking around when I found a smoking hot blonde who caught my attention. So, I decided to drop by and check her out."

I blushed.

"So..." he started. "You know that guy?"

I was puzzled. "Who?"

"Prince Fredward," Pete replied. "I saw him talking to you while I was approaching."

I became really confused. "No, that's just Frederick. I think you've got it all wrong, he's not the prince, he's the friend of the prince."

"Oh really?" he smirked. "Did you know that there are two princes in this town? And I'm sure that one of them is named Fredward Benson."

My heart was starting to break. "Freddie... is... a... a... a prince?"

I looked into Pete's eyes. He didn't look like he was kidding. I remember that when mom introduced him to me, she mentioned that Pete knows the prince. But I never knew that the prince that he knew was the friend that I thought I always had...

"Why did he lie to me?" I shook my head in disbelief. "I don't understand."

Pete took me in his arms as tears started to fall on my cheek. "I thought he was my friend, my best friend..."

I heard Pete whisper something, "I thought he was too..."

As my heart was bleeding, I head the sound of cups of drinks falling to the ground and spilling everywhere. My head popped out of Pete's embrace and turned to where the sound came from. There he stood; shocked, angry, confused. And there I was; betrayed, puzzled, lost. I felt like I never knew him; for who he really is - I don't know. What was his motive behind the friendship? Why did he lie about his background? Did he not trust me?

It was by instinct that I pulled away from Pete as Freddie walked over. "What is he doing here?"

"Oh," Pete replied. "I was... er..."

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Sam." Freddie squinted his eyes as he approached me. "The store ran out of food, all they had was drinks... What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," I said in sarcasm. "I shouldn't have got you to go and get food for me."

"What?" he looked puzzled. "It's only right for a guy to help a girl get food when she's hungry."

I sighed. "No. It's not right, Freddie... Or should I say, your highness?"

As soon as I revealed his true self, the girls around us turned towards us, screamed and were crowding around Freddie. He got angry and took Pete by the collar.

"What did you tell her?" he asked.

"Nothing she shouldn't know about," Pete replied. I pulled Freddie away from Pete. He was getting out of control. I swear that if he held onto Pete's collar like that for a few more seconds, Pete would have been on the ground.

"Stop it!" I yelled at him. I didn't care how many people were staring at us.

He wanted to explain, "But he..."

"No," I interrupted him. I didn't want to hear anymore from him. "He's not the one at fault. You were the one who hid everything from me."

"I did it because..." he wanted to explain further, but Pete stood in between the both of us and interrupted him.

"Let me warn you," Pete warned him. "If you ever break the heart of my girlfriend again, you'll get it from me. I swear."

Freddie had no choice but to walk away. He seemed disappointed, but he deserved it. He lied to me. He didn't trust me. He betrayed me.

I swear. I don't ever want to see him again.


	9. iLearn Everything

Freddie's POV

What in the world just happened? I don't even understand. Just a minute ago, I was teaching Sam about mannerism and the next minute, Sam yells at me in the face. I would never understand girls!

"Argh!" I shouted at the horizon. "I hate this!"

"What is wrong, my dear prince?" father came into my room. "Girl troubles?"

It seems that having father-son talks are the best remedies around here. Even when Gibby needs help, my father would act as his and help him out, since his parents have...

I slowly nodded my head and dropped my weight down on the springy bed, landing with a 'thump'. "I guess it's easy to tell with my facial expressions, huh."

Father nodded. "My dear prince, you know you can always count on me." He winked at me.

"You know," my father added. "Before I married your mother, we were very good friends."

"Really?" I asked. I always thought that mother and father were lovers right from the start.

"Yes," he continued. "I met her on the streets one day. If not for her, I would have died. I guess I owe her my life."

I became more curious with every word father said. "Were you assasinated?"

He shook his head.

"Robbed?"

He shook his head again.

"Shot?"

He shook his head. "No, I fell."

"You fell?" I suddenly found father a little lame... "But how can you say that mother saved your life? You can't possibly fall so hard till your life was at stake, right?"

He laughed. "No, son. When I first met your mother, I was out hunting. However, I fell off a horse when it got mad suddenly. Then, I met your mother. She was living near that area and was out picking herbs for her pharmacy in the forests where she met me."

"Mother owned a pharmacy?" I never knew so much about my mother since I was mostly isolated from the townsfolk.

"Yes indeed," father laughed. "She practised medicine before we got married. If it was not for her knowledge of medicine, I would have died of excessive loss of blood."

"Wow," I was stunned. "I never knew that mother was so knowledgeable."

Father joked, "Well, where do you think she got all the knowledge about the different types of vitamins and herbs that are good for you?"

"Then, what happened?" I probed further. "Did she know that you were royalty?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I lied to her that I was the Grand Duke!"

I laughed at my father's atrocitiy. But I was not any better. Although I didn't lie about Gibby being a prince, I lied about my identity. I may be a prince, but to her, I am just a lowlife.

"What happened next?" I asked.

Father sighed, "We got into a huge argument. Everything changed since then. She didn't talk to me, I didn't talk to her. That cold war was even more difficult to fight for than the Great War of China!"

I understood what father meant. My heart was breaking when Sam didn't understand me. It was as if I just got stabbed in the heart again and again. Every single word she said was an arrow that kept trying to piercing through the barrier that kept my heart protected. That feeling was worse than betrayal.

"Well," father continued with his story. "Even after a tiring war, there's bound to be peace. With every damage you get from the other, you'll start to cherish them when the war is over. I'm sure that you'll be able to get through this, my prince. Nothing is too tough for you. You've even found the girl that Prince Gibson has been looking for since the ball. What's her name again?"

"Carlerella," I replied.

"Oh yes," father agreed. "And you did it all on your own using your own store as 'bait' for her. You knew that she would come around, didn't you?"

I smiled.

"My son, you have the gift of prediction and instinct. You know when to do the right things and how to do them. It's your gift, your power, your CHOICE."

My eyes grew wide. All this while, I've known what to do. But I've never done what my heart told me to do. All I did was be afraid of her rejection, afraid of the bad things that may happen. It's now that I've realized. I was the coward.

"Thanks, Dad," I said unconsciously.

"Finally," father expressed his joy. "You've finally called me 'Dad'. After all these years, you've finally dropped your polite speech."

I replied with a smile.

"Wait," father called. "Don't you have something to do?"

Something struck my mind. Sam! It's time I explained myself to her. It's time I fight it all out with Pete...

A/N: I made "Great War of China" up. It sounded like the Great Wall of China, so I just used it in this chapter... Hope you guys don't find it weird or get offended...


	10. iHave Something Important to Tell You

Sam's POV

"Sam," Pete called out. "Are you okay? You've been in there for two hours!"

"I'm fine," I replied. "If you're tired, you can go. I'll be okay by myself."

I heard the sound of footsteps, then it became softer and softer gradually. By the time I was sure Pete was gone, drops of water was found on the ground. The 'rain' got heavier and heavier, till I realized that the drops of water came from me. I was sobbing... again...

What is wrong with me? Why do I feel so... bad about it? Sam Puckett! Pull yourself together! It was that nub who betrayed you, you shouldn't feel bad about it at all!

"Sam," Pete cried out again. I thought he was gone. "I've brought you some fried chicken 'cause I thought you would be hungry since you haven't eaten for two hours."

I got out of the cubicle, washed my face and stepped out of the washroom. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't really feel like it right now. I think I've lost my appetite."

Oh my god, what was I saying? I love fried chicken! I've never lost appetite for it before and it was my favourite food... What has happened to me? Why do I feel all empty inside?

"I understand," Pete said. "I know how you're feeling right now. But you should have a bite first before you get ill."

I reluctantly took a bite out of it and water fell on my cheeks again.

Pete noticed it, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I replied, smiling. Apparently, it did not convince him as he kept his questioning. I touched my cheek and realized that there was a drop of water. I looked up at the ceiling, wondering if water came from above me. Then, I looked back down and continued with my business.

It's been a week since that incident. Everything changed. Although I still see that nub face every single day when he knocks on my door, but he only came for Carly. Never for me.

He didn't even bother to apologise or anything. All he said when he came was, "Hey."

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Er... I'm looking for Carlerella," he stated.

I shouted into the house, "Carly! His HIGHNESS is here to see you!" I emphasized on the 'highness' part to make sure that he gets the message.

Carly yelled back, "Coming!"

Then, I would slam the door in his face and return to my room, ignoring Melanie and her curiosity about the royal nub.

"His highness?" Melanie would ask. "The prince?"

"More like one of them," I replied, disgusted.

Melanie would rush out to the door to receive him, only to be greeted with an unfamiliar face. All this while she had thought that Gibby was the only prince. And she treated my expression as a joke. Typical Melanie.

Everyday it was the same. His highness the royal nub would come knocking on our door bringing flowers, chocolates and all sorts of gifts, only to tell me that he wants to see Carly. But one day...

"Hey," he greeted.

"Carly's gone to town," I stated. "She wouldn't be back until the sun sets."

He smiled. "I know, but I..."

"Great," I snapped. "You can come some other time. I'm outta here."

"Wait!" he called.

I rolled my eyes. "What? You don't trust me? She's in the kitchen doing chores. I didn't tie her up and throw her into the well or anything. You wanna come in and do a thorough check, lover-boy?"

"No," he said. "I don't mean it that way. I just..."

I grew angrier as he spoke. "What? You just wanted to say that I was not meant to be trusted? That I was some girl on the streets that you didn't trust your identity with? That I was just a girl that may come after you and assasinate you because you were the prince?"

"But I didn't..."

"I get it!" I yelled at him. I could take this no longer. "Just... leave."

"I don't want to," he frowned.

"Go!" I said as I slammed the door in his face. I leaned against the door and slid to the ground. The fight took me lots of courage and brought me lots of pain. I was just glad that it was over.

But I was proven wrong when there was a knock on the door again.

"What?" I yelled.

Before I knew it, I was caught in a deep embrace and my lips made contact with the nub's. I used to think that first kisses were unnecessary and dumb, but this proved everything wrong. I felt fireworks, sparks, butterflies... Like time had paused for this moment...

After what seemed like just a brief moment, we broke apart.

"I love you," he said, still holding on to my arms. "And I'm sorry for everything I've done. I didn't mean to..."

"I understand," I said as we stared deeply into each other's eyes. But then, I remembered, "What about Pete?"

Freddie looked at the skies and replied, "There's something important that I have to tell you."

A/N: Sorry, but I may not be able to update so soon as the examinations are coming up for me. However, I would continue writing these chapters when I have free time. Sorry... :(


	11. iDon't Understand

Freddie's POV

I was hesitating. Should I tell Sam the truth about Pete? But, what if she feels that I was just trying to make myself look good indirectly?

Argh... This is no time to talk about myself. I have to tell her to protect her from him, before she gets hurt even more.

"Sam!" someone called from behind us.

Upon noticing him, Sam immediately released herself from my grasp.

"Pete," she called nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing, just hanging around," Pete replied, peering suspiciously behind Sam. "I thought I would come around to look for you and we could talk about the..." He was eyeing me. "What's he doing here?"

"I'm her..." I was interrupted by Sam.

"He's here to apologise about what happened," Sam said nervously. I've never seen her that nervous before. Carly mentioned once that she was very good at lying and never blinks when she does that. But now, she just looks too defensive to not be lying.

Pete was a little suspicious. "Okay. I guess I shouldn't be bothering you guys right now. I'll be back later." He walked away and his shadow silhouette slowly disappears into the horizon.

I waited till he was gone before I took the chance to question Sam, "What's wrong? Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"I'm just... not ready yet," she replied. "Besides, I'm still a little confused about this."

"What are you confused about?" I asked. "I already told you about my feelings. Don't you feel the same for me?"

She sighed. "Yes, of course. But, I just don't want to hurt Pete's feelings. And, I'm still puzzled at your motives coming by my house everyday to call for Carly and bringing those chocolates and stuff along with you."

"Actually," I started. "The chocolates were for you. I noticed that you loved eating chocolates, so I decided to bring you some. But whenever I knock on your door, I find that I didn't have the courage to apologise. So, I always tried to use an excuse to avoid these awkward situations, and Carly just happened to be one of the excuses I can come up with."

She raised an eyebrow, "What happened to the chocolates?"

"I... er..." I hesitated. "The hobo down the street..."

She frowned a little, "Er... I don't want to know... But, there's one more thing that I don't understand."

I nodded for her to continue.

"Why did you lie about your identity to me?" she seemed hurt. "Didn't you trust me?"

I sighed. "Of course I trust you, you're the girl that I love! But that doesn't mean that my father trusts you. He believes that whoever is not family is not to be trusted."

"But," she looked disappointed. "Do you believe in that?"

I looked at her sternly, "Of course not. I trust you with all my heart. I love you."

She smiled and we were caught in a deep embrace again. From now on, I am going to cherish her, and I will never break her heart or let anyone hurt her ever again. She's my girl and she means everything to me.

A week later, Sam has yet to have broken up with Pete. She said that she couldn't bear to see him get all disappointed, but I told her that he deserved it. She knew the story of how Pete ruined my life and understood that she may be in danger. But, she carried on with the relationship.

"You'll have to break up with him," I stated. I couldn't stand it anymore. Why was that creep granted the privilege to hold her hand, but I have to stand in one corner to witness all these? It's just not fair.

"But I'm just afraid that you'll get hurt," she replied. "If I break up with him and he knows that you were the one who instigated me to do it, he may hurt you!"

I sighed. "I know, but you'll have to understand that he's a dangerous man. He caused my mother's death and he can do the same to you."

"I'll be careful," she assured me. "Besides, I'm good at combat. If he ever tries to lay a finger on me, I'll knock his teeth out with a carton of milk!"

I knew she'd say that, but I still wasn't sure of it yet. Somehow, something tells me that Pete is bad news. But before we ever confirm that, I'll have to be very careful when meeting up with Sam.

"Hey Freddie, hey Sam," Carly came up from her chores. "I'm just done with the kitchen. You guys want anything?"

I felt sorry for Carly. Even though she has already been recognized by Gibby that she was _the one_, she still has to continue with the chores and such. "No, thanks. Maybe you can come and have a chat with us since you're done with your chores."

She smiled and took a seat next to Sam.

"Carly," I asked. "Why are you still doing all these chores when you know that you're going to become princess in less than a week?"

She giggled. "Well, if I didn't do all these chores, who do you think will keep the house spick and span? I'll just do what I'm supposed to do while I'm still here."

"Oh, and my mom doesn't know about her marriage yet," Sam added. "If she knew that Carly was marrying the prince and not her daughter, she'll be flippin' mad."

I joked. "Who says that her daughter would not be marrying the prince?"

She grinned. "And who says that her daughter _would _marry the prince?" I tickled her as she joked along with me.

I could see Carly smiling by the corner of my eye. It was as if she knew that we'll be together.

"Hey Carls," Sam called as she stopped the little game. "Where's Melanie?"

I was puzzled. "Who's Melanie?"

"Melanie's my sister," Sam replied.

"You're joking, right?" I was really confused. "I've been to your house so many times and I've never even seen a picture of her before."

Carly giggled again. "They're twins. Of course you couldn't tell them apart."

"What is this? April Fool's Day?" I said. "I don't believe you guys."

"Not joking and it's September," Sam replied. "She's really my twin. I can prove it to you. We'll wait till she returns home."

"We can't," Carly said. "Melanie went to the next town with your mother to visit your..."

Sam completed her sentence for her. "My cousin Annie? Oh yeah, she's in parole again."

"How convenient," I stated. I still didn't believe that Sam had a sister. I mean, the last time Sam pulled a prank on me, she told me that Carly fell into a lake and asked me to jump down there to save her. I almost drowned because of the strong currents.

Should I believe her again?

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for not updating so soon. I needed a break from my revision and decided to continue with this fanfic. But I can't promise that I'll update it that soon again. But just to let you know, my examination ends mid-October. So, you can expect more from me then. Till then, have fun!


	12. iMeet Melanie

**Sam's POV**

He doesn't believe me when I say that Melanie exists. Argh... And to think he said that he trusted me with all his heart! Boys, they are just pinatas that don't even contain any candy; just empty shells full of empty promises!

"I have to go now," Freddie broke the silence. "My father may be worried about me if I return late."

"See you, Freddie!" Carly bade goodbye enthusiastically.

"Bye..." I said, feeling empty and broken. When I was sure that he was gone, I leaned towards my side and landed on Carly's legs. I broke down again.

Hearing my sobs, Carly became concerned. "What's the matter, Sam? Are you okay?"

I remember the last time I cried. It was when I worked at a restaurant when my family almost became broke. My mother forced me to work there when she thought I contributed nothing to the family at all. Luckily, I was not the only one. Carly was sent there too and we did similar jobs. But Melanie was exempted from this as mom thought that she would be more useful in school. Ugh, Melanie...

"Freddie doesn't believe me," I stated. "But he said that he trusted me with all his heart! You saw him when he refused to believe us about the existence of Melanie!"

She giggled. "Yes, but he has his reasons too. Recently, we've been pranking him alot."

I nodded. We did prank him alot. Just two days after we were officially together, I made Carly prank him that I was kidnapped by Pete and locked in a tower. He actually believed us and went to find me. When I heard that he was so gullible, I went on a hunt for him as well. The next morning, we found him in the forest, desperately trying to climb up a tall tower. He thought I was up there and refused to give up climbing until I shouted out for him. Haha... That was a classic...

Then, the day after, I pranked him and told him that Carly fell into the river while she was washing the clothes. He actually believed me and dived into the river to attempt to rescue her, until Carly appeared in front of us. Although he almost drowned, I still find it pretty funny when he realized that Carly was not in the river at all. You should have seen his face!

"True," I replied. "But he should trust me!"

She thought for a while before replying. "Why not we arrange for a meeting among the four of us?"

"The four of us?" I was getting curious.

"Yeah," she replied. "You, Freddie, Melanie and me. Then, he'll realize that he was the one at fault and he'll apologize."

I thought about the idea. "Hmm... Momma likey..."

So, the week after, we decided to let the prince meet his girlfriend's sister. We agreed to meet up at the Groovy Smoothie's at 3 o' clock. Melanie, Carly and I were all ready to go when Melanie forgot something and decided to join us at a later time.

When we arrived at the place, Freddie was already there. Like always, he was trying to dress more normally, avoiding all the attention that one can get by being the next heir to the throne, after Gibby, of course.

"Where's 'Mythical Melanie'?" he still insists that Melanie doesn't exist.

I rolled my eyes as he placed air quotes around the words 'Mythical' and 'Melanie'. "She's coming, she just forgot something and asked us to come here first."

Since there wasn't a table for four, we settled with a table for five instead.

"What's taking Melanie so long?" I asked, getting bored already. Then, I felt a little urgent. "Momma needs to take a wazz... B-R-B..." I said as I ran towards the washrooms with as little movement between my legs as possible. You wouldn't want to walk normally when you're in a condition like mine.

**Freddie's POV**

As soon as Sam was gone, I started to talk to Carly, hoping that I did not hurt Sam in any way. "Melanie is not real, right?"

"She _is_ real. I live in their house and I can tell you that Melanie exists!" Carly insisted. "Why can't you just believe Sam? Do you know what she told me last week after you left?"

"No," I simply stated.

She shook her head and became calm. "She told me that you did not believe her. And she felt hurt about it. She was basically crying on my legs, lying there like she was a broken piece of glass. She even called you a pinata!"

"A pinata?" I was confused. "Why a pinata?"

"To be precise," she continued. "She called you an empty pinata – 'Just a colourful shell filled with empty promises,' she said. She was broken, Freddie."

I was shocked at the statement. Sam was not pranking me again? Did I actually hurt her by telling her that I didn't believe her? What kind of man am I? I swore that I would never let any man hurt her again, but now, I am the one who hurt her. Why is this world so complicated?

"Hey Carly, hey Frederick!" I heard a voice from behind me. "I'm sorry I'm late." She sounded like Sam, but her tone was so... Wait, Frederick?

I turned around to find that I was face-to-face with a girl that looked exactly like Sam, but she wore different clothes and wore her hair differently. Instead of the casual clothes that Sam wore, she wore a dress and a necklace of a heart-shape. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was polite.

"Hey Melanie," Carly said. "Take a seat." She gestured to the seat beside her, which was one seat away from mine, but she decided to take the seat directly beside mine as she stared at me flirtatiously. That is definitely not Sam.

"You didn't tell her?" I asked Carly. She gave me a confused expression. "Frederick...?"

Carly remembered. "Oh, I forgot. Melanie, this is Fred..."

She was interrupted by the boy behind. "Hey!" It was Pete... "Carly, Freddie, Sam!" Apparently, I'm not the only one who was mixed up with this Melanie thing.

As he placed his arm around the assumed-to-be Sam, both Carly and I started to giggle. Poor dude, he didn't even know what we were laughing at. When we thought that Melanie would stand up and tell him in his face that he's got the wrong girl, we were terribly wrong.

"Hey Pete!" Melanie 'hey-ed' back. Wow, she's really desperate for guys. "I didn't know you'd be here."

Both Carly and I were caught dumbfounded when Melanie hugged Pete in front of us. As soon as they shared a deep embrace, Sam returned from her toilet break.

"Pete?" Sam looked shocked. "Melanie?"

"Sam?" Pete seemed confused. "There are two of you?"

A guilty look was seen on Melanie's face. She immediately let go of Pete and let Sam inch closer towards her. "I can explain..." she said as Sam glared at her.

The atmosphere tensed as the entire smoothie palace turned somewhat into a dramatic movie set. Everyone had their eyes on the trio as not a word escaped from their petrified lips. A storm was approaching...

A/N: Once, again, I'll have to leave this as a cliffhanger. I would like to know if you guys would prefer this Fanfic to have more chapters or less? As usual, I'll be having my examinations soon. The first day will be this Thursday. I wouldn't be able to write more chapters till about two weeks later. Sorry!


	13. iBreak Up

**Sam's POV**

The time has finally come! This is the perfect opportunity for me to break up with Pete without him suspecting anything about it!

"What's the meaning of this?" I pretended to be angry. Ever since young, I had no problems lying. Seriously. That's why I was able to pull so many successful pranks on the nub. "Pete, you're two-timing me? With Melanie?"

Melanie looked shocked and guilty. Man, I never knew she was such a great actor.

"Sam," Pete was guilty, but confused. "I can explain."

Here comes my chance and no one is going to ruin it. "No. I don't want to hear anything from you. We're through, you understand? Get out of here."

"But Sam!" he desperately tries to explain things to me. "I..."

"If you don't want to get out, I'll get out," I said as I pulled Carly and Freddie along with me. "Come on, I don't want to be here any minute longer."

As soon as we got home, I heaved a sigh of relief.

"That was awesome!" I shouted. Freddie and Carly looked at me as if I was an injured moose when I gave that reaction.

"What just happened?" Freddie asked. "One minute ago, you were flying into a rage and now you're treating this as if nothing had happened?"

I laughed. "Can't you see? I broke up with Pete! It was the perfect timing for me to break up with him!" I was so proud of myself, too proud to see my friends' reactions.

Carly was frowning. "But you hurt Melanie. She doesn't even know about your plan! You're making use of her and her feelings and that's just wrong..."

"Are you sure she doesn't know about my plan?" I questioned them while having a grin on my face. They looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "I told Melanie about what's going to happen. The meeting today didn't just serve one purpose, you know?"

"You mean, you had everything planned?" Freddie asked.

"Yup."

Carly added, "And you didn't even tell us?"

"If I told you, would you guys have reacted the way I needed you to?" I replied. "Besides, I promised her that she can keep him."

Freddie looked like he realized something, "Is that why she never knew I was a prince?"

I just nodded.

"You, girl, are one good planner," Carly said, finally smiling. I could tell that she was proud of me. Well, with a stepsister like me, who wouldn't?

**Melanie's POV**

After Sam stepped out of Groovie Smoothie, I tried my luck with Pete again. "So, does this mean we're over?"

"Over?" he asked menacingly. "We've never even started!"

"But Sam promised me that..." I placed my hands on my mouth as soon as I realized that I had spilt the beans. "Oops..."

"You're in this with them?" he roared. "You guys actually ganged up on me, huh?" Then, his expressions changed in a split second and his face lit up. "Hmm... I suppose you don't know that that Freddie boy is a better catch than me, am I right?"

I was confused. "What... do you mean?"

He grinned. "No wonder I was part of the deal and not him. They kept it from you, didn't they?"

"What are you talking about? They didn't keep anything from me," I tried to act calm and believed that Sam did not lie to me.

"Poor girl," he continued. "They didn't tell you that Fredward was the prince? Well, it's no surprise to me. When someone offers a deal, the one who offered the deal always has an advantage over the situation, huh? And this time, your sister has the better man while you're stuck with at the losing end. How fair can the world be?"

I couldn't help it, but the more he talked about this, the more I felt... unfair.

"Come," he offered. "Join me. And together, we would be able to fulfil our dreams."

"Our dreams?" I confirmed with him.

His grin became wider upon hearing my question. "OUR dreams. You'll be able to win the heart of the prince, while I will be able to get my revenge. Deal?"

"Deal," it was all too tempting to resist. After all, who wouldn't want to fulfil their dreams?

He snickered. "Here's the plan..."

**Freddie's POV**

It's a beautiful morning, once again. Gibby had asked us out to the Groovy Smoothie's to discuss his and Carly's wedding. True, they've only met a few times, but it was "enough to prove their love for each other".

"Where's Sam?" I asked.

"She said she was busy today," Carly replied.

Gibby and Carly continued discussing while I continued thinking about the blue-eyed blonde. "Which colour should we choose for our... Fredward?" Gibby called me as he waved his hands in front of my eyes.

"FREDWARD!" my dear friend almost shocked me to death.

I said as my frowns were obvious, "What was that for?"

Gibby seemed offended, "You weren't listening! What were you thinking about?"

I looked apologetic as I tried to explain myself, "I'm sorry, I was worried about Sam. The last time I saw her was 2 days ago."

"2 days?" Gibby seemed surprised. "Dude, you're already missing her when you haven't seen her for 2 days? What have I been living on for the 2 WEEKS I 'lost' Carlerella?"

I just rolled my eyes at his comment.

"Don't worry, Freddie," Carly comforted me. "She's alright. I saw her this morning and she's fine. I'll help you keep an eye on her if you want."

"Neh, it's okay," I replied. "Maybe I need a little break from here. Be right back," I ran out of Groovy Smoothie and out to the streets. A convenience store across the street caught my eye and I was about to run towards it when a I heard a voice from the back alley.

"Psst," the voice said. "Freddie!"

It was Sam.

"What are you doing here? Carly said that you were busy," I asked.

She seemed like she was hiding something as she looked around her for the right answers. "I was busy for a surprise for you." She finally thought of something. But to me, that's just an excuse.

"Okay, now will you tell me what you were busy with?" I teased.

She nodded her head and enthusiastically pulled me deeper into the back alley. "Come here! I'll show you!" She said.

The moment I reached the end of the alley, I felt something hit my head. The next thing I knew, I was in a room. And a very dark one too...


	14. iAm Threatened

Freddie's POV

"Why did you knock him out?" a girl asked.

A boy sighed. "If I didn't knock him out, we would never be able to get him here."

The argument continued as I regained consciousness. "Where am I?"

As soon as they realized that I have awoken from my unconsciousness, nothing but silence and the sound of insects and rats were heard. Then, after a few shuffling noises, a disguised voice was heard. If I'm not wrong, the voice came from the boy.

"Fredward Benson," the voice said. "You have always been so cocky, huh. Not so cocky when you are in captivity, are you?"

"I know who you are," I recognized that voice. It was so familiar. "Pete!"

Gasps were heard. "How did you know?" he asked, no longer using the voice disguise device.

"Lucky guess," I grinned. If it wasn't for the mask that was blinding me, I would have been able to see his face. "Oh, and I'm guessing the one who lured me here wasn't Sam. She was Melanie."

As soon as I revealed her identity, a fist came in contact with my stomach.

"Why did you do that?" Melanie asked. "I thought the deal was..." she almost spilt the beans.

"Deal?" things were starting to make sense. "Oh, so you got me here so that I would agree to be with Melanie in order to be free? Man, that is low!" I joked.

"Stop grinning," Pete commanded, then calmed down. "So, will you?"

I laughed. "So that you will be able to steal Sam away from me? No."

"Suit yourself!" Pete replied. "But you do realize that Sam doesn't know of what's happening now, does she? If you're not free out there to protect her, I may just hurt her and you wouldn't even know about it. But if you agree to the deal, you would be able to date her twin sister and protect her from me. Sounds like a plan?"

I thought about it. And the more I thought, the more I can't believe my deduction. He was right.

"Okay," I gave in. "But you'll have to promise that you will not hurt her in any way."

He grinned. "Deal."

I heard a squeal from the background. Argh, this is going to be the worst mistake I ever made...

The next day, I looked Carly up. I had the intention of avoiding them, but I know that I'll have to face this.

"Hey Freddie," Carly opened the door. "What happened to you? Where did you go yesterday?"

"Er, no where," I lied. Then, I remembered my motive. "Do me a favour, will you?"

She replied, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Tell Sam to forget me," I requested. "Tell her that she should get me out of her mind immediately. I want to break up."

Carly's face twisted into a shocked look, "What?"

"I said, tell..." I started before she interrupted.

"I heard you," she stopped me. "But why? Aren't you guys happy together? What did she do?"

I sighed. "It's not her fault. Just tell her that for me, will you?"

Carly sighed as well. "Okay."

As I turned my head and started to walk away, a high-pitched voice came from behind. "FREDDIE!"

I turned around once again and Melanie jumped on me, causing me to fall. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Home," I replied harshly.

"Can I come with you?" she asked me with her begging eyes. Sam never used begging eyes.

"No," I replied bluntly.

She grinned. "But why can't you _girlfriend_ come with you?"

It seemed that Carly heard her for her eyes grew wide and she stared at the both of us with disdainful eyes. "Girlfriend? Freddie, you dumped Sam for this girl?"

"Carly, I can explain," I wanted to tell her what happened, but I rememberd that I had a deal to go with.

"Of course you can," Melanie smirked. "You can tell her how amazing I am compared to Sam and how much more beautiful I am."

With that, Carly smacked the door shut and returned into the house. I could almost hear her yelling to Sam and asking her to come down and take a look at her 'ex-boyfriend'. Argh... I feel terrible.

"Melanie," I stated. "You and Sam are twins. The both of you look the _same_."

I got up from the ground and brushed the dirt off my clothes. "You should just go, I want to be alone." I said, as I was about to turn away from her. When I was about to return home, I looked up and saw an open window and a hint of blonde hair... Sam...

Before I left, Melanie tried to cling onto my arm, but I shook her off once again. "I'm your girlfriend, remember? If you treat me like this again, I can get Pete to hurt my sister whenever I want!" she threatened.

"Do what you want!" I yelled. "If this is what you're going to do to hurt your twin sister, go ahead! I want to see how you try." I taunted her. I never tried to taunt Sam; I was afraid that she'll break my arm or something, judging on how she beat the robber up.

Sam, I guess this is the last time you will ever want to see me again... You have no idea how much I love you...

A/N: I messed up one of my examination papers yesterday. Too addicted to your reviews, I guess :D Thanks for your wonderful comments and great suggestions. I'll do my best to ace my examinations and provide you with the best fanfictions yet!

By the way, please vote on my profile and let me know if I should abandon 'iGet Starstruck'. I'm running out of ideas lately... Thank you so much!


	15. iReturn to Him

Sam's POV

I looked through the window. It seems that Carly was right about Freddie dumping me for Melanie. They were having so much fun down my house that I can't stop myself from believing it. I'm such a fool! And to think that I did so much for him! That jerk...

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. A moment later, I swear I felt water falling down to my ears. I touched the drop of water, looked up at the ceiling, checking for any leaks from the roof. Nope. No leaks. Then, I rubbed my eyes. Wait, what is this? Are my eyes the sources of the water? How can this be? Sam Puckett never cries. Especially not for a stupid jerk like Fredward Benson...

"Sam," Carly yelled from behind my locked door. "Are you okay? You've been in there for hours!"

"I'm fine," I managed to cough out the words, but it still didn't convince the princess-to-be. "Just leave me alone." I didn't want to see or hear anyone right now.

I heard a few shuffling footsteps outside the door, but I didn't care. I really wanted to be alone, I needed to think...

The next day was no better, as I refused to leave my room, Carly barged in to bring me a huge feast of food. She said that I usually couldn't stand not eating for four hours, I had to eat after one day. But I felt broken, everything was wrong. I didn't have the appetite. So, Carly just left the feast on my bed and left the room.

Hours later, a knock came from my door.

"For the twenty-third time, I'm..." I started as I got interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I heard that you broke up with Prince Fredward," it was Pete. "Are you okay? Can I come in?"

I thought of denying his entrance, but then I remembered – the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Maybe that jerk of a prince wanted to break my heart in the first place. I was such a fool to believe him. Because of him, I even broke up with Pete, the only guy who treated me nicely, without a motive, of course.

"Fine," I replied to his request. "You can come in."

The boy took on the bed beside me. His hand was approaching my face, but I flinched as it came closer. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "How are you?"

"Besides the fact that I broke up with Freddie and feels terrible, yeah, I'm fine," I replied.

"Good," he expressed.

"Good?" I was puzzled. Doesn't he hate me for breaking up with him?

He laughed when I asked him about it. "Melanie told me everything. No worries."

I felt guilty. I was fooled by the jerk to break up with him. I should have known that Pete was too nice to be some evil dude who did all he could to get what he wanted. I should have known...

"Sam!" Pete made me jump out of my trance. "What were you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Hey," Pete started. "Since you know that everything was a misunderstanding, can we... start over again?"

I hesitated before answering, "Sure, I'm sorry for the incident anyway."

"No biggie," Pete replied. "Let's go out and take some fresh air, girlfriend."

I giggled. That boy sure knew how to make a girl happy. As he held my hand, I felt something whisper into my ears. It was soft but I heard what it said.

Don't go... Don't be his girlfriend... Don't believe him... Don't...

It sounded creepy at first, but I felt a sense of warmth that came along with the voice. It's like a mother's love that I have never felt before. But still, no one tells Momma what to do.

As I ignored the whispering, Pete brought me out to the park for some fresh air. He held my hand throughout the stroll, but I didn't feel any spark between us like I felt with him before. It just felt... wrong.

"Why don't I get you an ice cream?" Pete offered.

"Okay," I agreed and sat on a nearby bench while waiting for him to return.

From afar, I could see couples sweet-talking, hugging, kissing... It was then that all the unhappiness that was bottled inside me was released again. It was hurt... All hurt...

"Sam," I heard someone from behind me. Seriously, why do I keep hearing voices and people coming from behind? "What are you doing here?"

I turned around as I saw them. Them. Melanie and... Freddie.

Her arms were hooked around Freddie's, like mine never did. She seemed happy with the jerk. But as for him, I couldn't tell. I didn't even want to look into his eyes.

As I opened my mouth to speak, Pete returned from getting ice cream. "Hi Melanie, hi Freddie. What a coincidence."

I forced a smile on my face as I hooked my arm around Pete's causing him to drop an ice cream. I could have sworn I saw a smile form on his face. "Pete brought me here for our date." I said, pretending to have gotten over the pain.

"Oh," Melanie said sweetly, like she always did. "Well, Freddie and I are here on a date too. Have you guys been to the carnival at the end of the path? It was really fun there!" She held on to a plush toy, obviously a prize from the carnival.

"Pete and I were thinking of going there later after the ice cream," I kept a strong front and lied to her. No one could see through my lie. I have total confidence.

Melanie smiled again. "Oh, sure. I'll see you later tonight then. Bye Sam, bye Pete!"

"Bye Melanie," I greeted her, totally ignoring the jerk beside her. As I took a final look behind me before approaching the carnival at the end of the path, my eyes met Freddie's. They were filled with sadness, filled with unwillingness, filled with longing, but never with guilt.

If I know just one thing, Freddie felt wronged.

A/N: I am so motivated by your reviews that I decided to post this up early. You guys give the best reviews ever! Love you all! By the way, there are only 2 more days to the end of my examinations. I am really looking forward to writing more chapters and feeding fanfic addictions (I am a fellow addict too, I know how it feels to be deprived).

Oh, and please help me out with my dilemma by completing the poll on my profile. Thanks a million!


	16. iReport

Melanie's POV

The moment I saw Sam pull Pete towards the end of the path, I thought I saw Freddie trying to take a final look at her before she was gone. He seemed unhappy. Unwilling.

"I don't know about this anymore," he said, breaking the silence between us.

"Huh?" I understood what he said, but I wanted to know why.

"I don't want to do this anymore," he replied. "If not doing this may cause her physical pain, I would rather she feels the pain on her skin than in her heart, which is what I'm doing to her right now. I swore that I would never let anyone hurt her again, but I'm the one who's hurting her."

I couldn't help but agree. Freddie made a lot of sense. "I know, but aren't you afraid that she may get hurt by Pete? Like, permanently?"

He hesitated. "I know that what I'm doing is selfish, but I'm sure she would rather be disabled and live with someone who truly loves her, than be healthy but living with someone who's always threatening to hurt her."

"How do you know if Pete doesn't really love her?" I questioned him.

"If he loved Sam, he would never threaten to hurt her. Instead, he should do all he can to protect her from harm..." he sighed. "Just like I would..."

I turned around to look at the leaving couple who have distanced a mile away from us. "Little sister, you'll always be so oblivious, won't you?"

"Huh? Did you say something?" Freddie asked.

"No, no," I replied. I guess he heard my mumbling. "Let's go home, I just remembered that I have some work to do."

His face lit up. "We can finally go home?"

"What do you mean by 'finally'? Don't you like spending time with me?" I asked.

"Must we go through this again?" he replied. Apparently, he had gotten sick and tired of my frequent questioning of his loyalty and faithfulness towards me. I managed to make him bring me to the carnival after much persuasion that morning, but he was still cold towards me. Well, I guess that's the way things were.

That night, when I returned home, I went over to my sister's room immediately after some screaming and shouting from Carlerella. She has gotten tougher and feistier each day. I don't even know why.

"Sam," I knocked on the door. "Are you in there?"

The music coming from the room stopped as I called out. Then, a couple of footsteps were heard approaching the door. Soon, my sister was out.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you were okay," I pretended to care about her, hiding away my agenda. "You know, after that..."

"I'm fine," she replied harshly. "Now, if there's nothing else, I'll..."

I interrupted her. "You know alot about Freddie, don't you?"

She froze at his name, then looked up at me. "So?" she asked, maintaining that harsh tone of hers as she bears the grudge for me for snatching her boyfriend away from her.

"His birthday is coming and I want to do something great for him," I replied. "I'm sure you know alot about him considering that the both of you were the best of friends."

She sighs and let me in her room. It's rather rare that she allows me into her room. Not that she doesn't allow anyone else, but she prefers keeping a distance from me. Once, I asked her why and she just said that it was weird having four 'Sams' in her room since she had a full-length mirror beside her bed.

"What do you want to know?" she asked me, no longer having the harsh tone in her voice.

"Well, let's start with his favorite snack," I replied, pulling my notepad out from my pocket.

"You keep a notepad with you?" she was surprised. "You just carry it around with you all the time or what?"

"Sometimes, I just carry it for convenience," I replied, in a tone that says 'obviously'. "Just like you carry your ribs and fried chicken with you all the time."

"You are one nerd, just like that..." she paused when she remembered the boy. "Never mind, let's just continue. What was that question again?"

So we had that little chat for about two hours before bedtime was near and mother started shouting at us for wasting electricity by leaving the lights on after bedtime. Actually, she was more of shouting at Sam. I never understood why she always picked on Sam but not me. Maybe it's because of the different 'maturity levels'.

The next morning, I proceeded immediately to Pete and my secret hideout. It isn't much of a secret anymore, considering the fact that Freddie just exited that place with ease when we released him from the abduction.

"Hmm..." Pete was mumbling about something in his lab. I decided to go check out while I report to him about my findings.

"Pete?" I called out to him. He was still kinda busy, so he didn't bother to even take a look at me. "I found something very interesting."

As he heard my report on the little chat I had with my sister last night, he decided to take a look up at me and listen attentively. "Go on. I want to know exactly what she told you."

"I started asking her about Freddie's favourite snack, which she replied was..." I was interrupted when Pete shook his head at my report.

"No, no, no, no, no," he said. "I don't want to know about your personal research for your boyfriend's birthday, I want to know what happened exactly, as in, what did she say about the book."

"Oh, right," I replied as I flipped through my notebook. "She said that the book that Freddie gave her was called 'Prehistoric Prophecies'. It was her favorite book even though she never read it, but she did flip through it once and something weird happened."

"Something weird?" Pete confirmed with me as he leaned forward from his chair and intertwined his fingers together.

I continued. "Yes, something weird. She said that she once felt currents surging through her, as if she was struck by lightning, but she was not hurt at all."

"Really?" he said as he stood up from his chair and paced about the room. "Do you have the book?"

"Yes," I replied enthusiastically as I found that he was finally interested in what I was saying. "She said that she no longer wanted anything to do with Freddie, so she decided to give the book to me." I took the book out from my pouch and handed it over to Pete.

"Wonderful!" he shouted. As if it was for dramatic effect, thunder boomed and storm clouds circled above our building as Pete let out the darkest laugh I've ever heard. "Now, I can finally get to my ultimate goal!"

I stared at him in shock. I never knew that boy could be so vicious. I never knew he would have thought of that plan that changed everything...

**A/N: Hey all! I'm back! This time, I'm going to update this story every week (hopefully) until it's completed. As for 'iGet Starstruck', I still need your votes to decide if I should continue with it or not. So, please do me a favour, I know you all are very nice people :D Stay tuned for more 'iAm the Stepsister' next week!**


	17. iAm Not Afraid

Freddie's POV

"Freddie!" there was a knock on the castle door. "Freddie, open up!"

It was early in the morning, since I only managed to sleep for a few hours, I was very tired as I struggled to climb down the stairs of the castle to reach the front door. There stood Melanie, being held up by the royal guards.

"Freddie," she called for help. "Ugh... Let me go!" she yelled at the guards.

"It's okay," I signalled to the guards. "She's a friend."

As soon as the guards released her from their grasp, Melanie ran towards me as if something bad happened.

"Freddie!" she yelled, even though we were only just one metre away from each other. "Sam's in danger, you've got to help her!"

"What happened?" I was puzzled and worried.

"Freddie," she was panting from running all the way here and fighting with the guards. "Sam... Pete... kidnapped..."

I got the shock of my life as my jaw dropped and my face looked entirely pale. "What?"

"You've got to go save her!" she exclaimed. "She's in the hideout. You have to hurry!"

Without a second thought, I ran towards the place where I dreaded most, leaving Melanie behind me, struggling to keep up. The thought of what might happen to Sam frightened me so much that I ran faster than the speed of light. As soon as I reached the dreaded hideout, I remembered that I had horses and carriages. Why didn't I ask the royal guards to accompany me or bring me here? Ugh, I must be such a doof.

No matter. I have to go save Sam, before it's too late. If Pete finds out about our secret, there will be a never ending list of what he can do to everyone.

"Sam?" I called out into the hideout. "Are you in here?"

I heard a mumbling which sounded pretty much like an apology and the next thing I knew, I was back on the chair where I sat during the abduction.

"Oh, come on!" I lamented. "This is getting old!"

The couple standing in front of me came closer to the light to show their faces. "No need," I commented. "I already know who you guys are. You don't think I would lose my memory that easy, did you?"

Pete, who stood out into the lighted foreground, came closer to me and whispered in my ear, "I know what's happening. I know all about the book..."

I froze at the mention of the book. How did he know about it? Oh yeah, I gave the book to Sam for safe-keeping. She must have given it to Pete after we broke up.

"It doesn't matter," I put up a strong front. "You wouldn't get away with it anyway. You don't even know how to activate it."

"Oh really?" he proved me wrong. The book, held by Melanie, was placed in his hands as he flipped its pages to page number 239. "Oopsie! What does this say? Oh! It's the activation code! And what's this? The 'secret recipe' for my concoction?" he mocked.

"What do you want?" I asked him. "Surely you would have wanted something from me. Isn't that why you brought me here?"

He snapped his fingers. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. I want you to _suffer_..." he hissed. "Just like I did when your father killed my parents!"

I raised an eyebrow. When has my father killed anyone? He was too kind and magnamious to do such a thing. Sensing my confusion, Pete decided to explain.

"When I was still three years old, my parents were killed by your dear father, the king," he started. "They were humiliated in front of the entire kingdom and none of our relatives wanted anything to do with us anymore. I was left an orphan! Kept in an orphanage where I was fed only once a day! When I was suffering the pain of losing my family and my friends, your royal family was having a great time! I swore that the moment I got out of the sickening orphanage, I would have my revenge!"

"You're the child of Lord Kade and Lady Eula?" I asked, recalling the case of the stolen artifacts. Pete laughed, so I took it as a 'yes'. "But they were executed only because they stole the ancient artifacts of the kingdom!"

"And the book of 'Prehistoric Prophecies'," he corrected me as he grinned proudly at what his parents had done. "But what they did cannot be compared to what your father did to them!"

"Pete, you don't understand. My father merely..." I was interrupted.

"I understand alot!"

Noticing Pete's anger, Melanie decided to ask him to continue with his explanation of how he arrived to who he is right now. "Why not we talk about you, Pete? How did you escape from the orphanage?"

"I barely did it," he continued. "I was kicked out for misconduct. I had to survive on my own. I barely had enough food for one day! Then, I met you..."

"The time when you saved me, it was a set up?" I didn't mean it to be a question. It was more of an exclamation. "You did it so you could get into the castle and have your revenge, didn't you?"

"I did save you," he replied. "I didn't know you were the prince at that time! It was until I was brought into the castle that I learnt everything. It was until then... that I... I planned for my revenge... I wanted your family to suffer the same fate as I did. But my main target was you."

"Why me?" I asked. "Why did you want to harm me?"

He snickered. "Because... Because I wanted you to be the one who understood what it felt like to lose everything you ever had! Aiming 'attacks' at your father is less painful than aiming attacks at you. If you realized, no father in this world would want his own child to suffer... he would rather it be himself..."

I laughed. "You're just a pathetic boy who would get upset and depressed by such little things in your life! I'm sure your parents wanted you to live independently, not taking every chance you can to have your revenge! You don't even have a life right now, it's all circling the thought of revenge!"

"Me?" he questioned. "The almighty Pete is pathetic? Ha! I laugh at your ignorance! I shall show you how powerful I am!"

He motioned to Melanie, who scurried over to his side immediately at his signals, "Melanie, I want you to get your sister here. She shall witness her little ex-boyfriend's suffering!"

No. I can't let her see me suffering. She would do anything he wants her to do. But wait, maybe she wouldn't considering the fact that I rudely dumped her for her sister...

But what happens next, only time will tell...


	18. iAsk for Help

Sam's POV

"Sam!" Melanie banged her fists against my door. "Sam! Please, open the door!"

"What's going on?" I asked. I was puzzled at her sudden cry for help. She was usually 'too smart to ask for any help' from me. "Why must you call for me when I'm doing something important?"

"What are you doing?" she snapped out of her panicky state. "Writing a list of who you should bully next?"

My eyes darted from left to right, "You don't know everything..."

"Anyway," she went back to her panicky state. "Freddie's in trouble."

I froze at the mention of his name. "What? Wait, your boyfriend's in trouble and you're asking me for help?"

"This isn't the time to be proud that your almighty sister is asking for your help!" she exclaimed. "Freddie's in serious danger!"

Well, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity where my perfect elder sister is asking for my help; why not take the offer when it's banging on your door? Literally.

So, I followed Melanie as she ran breathlessly while I caught up with effortlessly. I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings, so I didn't quite remember how we ended up where we were. As we reached our destination, Melanie gestured for me to enter first.

"I'm sorry," Melanie mumbled as I felt a blow on my shoulder. Then, everything was black...

... SEDDIE FTW ...

"Sam," I heard a voice somewhere around me. "Sam, are you okay? I am _so_ sorry..."

I opened my eyes and rubbed it as I tried to clear the blurry vision from my eyes. A blonde girl stood in front of me. It was her. My twin sister.

"What's going on? Why am I here?" I asked, then I recalled what happened. "Wait, were you the one who hit me on my shoulder?"

Melanie placed a hand on my shoulder as if to reassure me as I winced in pain. She withdrew her hand, seeming ashamed of her actions. "I'm _so_ sorry, I had _no_ choice. I... I,.. Freddie is in danger."

"Isn't that why I came here?" I asked the obvious.

"His life is in danger, a whole lot of danger," she continued as she started to panic again. "He's been abducted by Pete and if he goes against Pete's wishes, he may be killed."

"Killed?" I asked, to confirm what I was hearing. "Then... he should just go by Pete's commands. That's nothing wrong..."

Melanie sighed. "Sam, don't you get it? Pete is vicious! His goal has always been revenge! And the target of revenge is Freddie!"

"What?" I was shocked. "Why?"

"I'll fill you in with the details later, but the main problem is that no matter which path Freddie chooses, he will suffer."

"What do you want me to do? I can't do anything to help him. Besides, I no longer feel anything for him since he messed up my life. Why should I even care about this jerk?" I stated the obvious.

Melanie placed both her hands on my arms as she looked into my eyes with hers. "Because you _do_ care."

I shook my head in response. "Nope. What made you think I would still care for the guy who broke my heart and betrayed my trust?"

"Because he didn't. I was the one who put him through this. I never knew Pete would try to harm Freddie! I thought all he wanted was to be with you, and I would be with him!" her eyes were rimmed with tears. "It's all my fault. If I never agreed to help Pete, this would never have happened!"

I wasn't the type to feel sympathy for people, but her words really seemed so... sincere and genuine.

"It's okay," I tried to comfort her. "Everything would be alright. I'll help you and your _boyfriend_. No worries."

"He's not my boyfriend," she looked at me with her red puffy eyes. "He's yours. I've seen the look he had on his face when he sees you and how he would praise you in front of me as if you were a perfect goddess. He's your boyfriend, Sam. I don't deserve him."

"Listen," I held on to her arms as she did a few minutes ago. "We're going to save life and kick butt. After that, we can talk about who owns him. But right now, it's time for the ultimate life-saving mission."

... SEDDIE FTW ...

**Freddie's POV**

I have been kept here, on this chair for a few hours and my butt has become so numb that even if I was released right now, I can't actually stand up. Pete was sat right in front of me at a desk where he examines the book's contents.

"When are you letting me go?" I asked him harshly. "I've been kept here for more than twelve hours and all I had was a sandwich for brunch. When will I ever get my dinner?"

He sat up and glared at me. "Who said I was going to give you dinner?"

"But I would starve to death," I stated. "And you would never get your goal."

He scratched his chin as he thought about it. "Okay, I'll get Melanie to fetch you dinner later. But first, we'll have to wait for your precious little ex-girlfriend to arrive."

As he said that he grinned and smirked. He was such an overconfident jerk that nothing seemed to frighten him.

Half an hour has passed. No, I wasn't so bored that I counted the time that went past. There was a clock mounted on the wall and it said 9:48. Oh man, I usually have my supper at this time, but now, I haven't even had dinner! I am _so_ in for torture.

Just then, my greatest source of problems (and source of food) came by the door as she brought her sister along. When I took a closer look, Sam was in the same situation as me. She was tied up on a chair with ropes and stuff, but she has a ball of cloth in her mouth to prevent her from making any comments.

"Pete," Melanie placed her sister down. "I've brought her here as you wanted."

I never knew Melanie was so strong. Perhaps she learned some new moves from Sam or something. But still, who would have thought that she would be strong enough to tie her own sister up without any resistence?

Sam looked from me to Pete and back to me again. She seemed to be unknown of the situation she was in. Pete came from behind the table towards Sam. He stroked her chin as she glared at him while trying to escape from his touch.

"Since everyone is here," he grinned. "Let the games begin..."

**A/N: Hey all! Thanks for your awesome comments! I really loved them. Oh, and thank you to Fiddlegirl, if you're reading this. I love your story and thanks for taking time to address my confusion! Anyways, I have some good news and bad news. **

**Good news: I'm back on fanfiction as a regular updater till January when my school year starts again, so you guys can be expecting a faster update on 'iAm the Stepsister'. Bad news: I didn't really score well for my examinations. Well, at least I'm not banned from the internet :D **

**So, thanks for all of your reviews again. And, please vote on my profile whether 'iGet Starstruck' should be abandoned and cancelled. If any of you would like to continue the story for me, I would be really honoured to pass the story to you. Just PM me and I'll let you have the story, if you want :D As for the rest, click on that REVIEW button like it's your job, okay?**


	19. iTell a Story

Freddie's POV

Pete walked over to the darker corner of the room and flipped the light switch on. In a moment of seconds, the entire place it up as though they were lights on a Christmas tree. But what caught my eye was the capsule that he stood beside of.

The capsule had a glass pane that was translucent and of a neon green. Its structure was complicated, not like anything I had ever seen. The metallic exterior glistened under the tremendous amounts of light as it was connected to a control panel with a flip-switch.

"It's time for some fun..." Pete said as he walked over to Sam, carried her on her chair and placed her in the capsule. With the touch of a button, the door of the capsule was closed, leaving the helpless Sam trying to escape from the ropes that bounded her.

Pete took the book in one hand and ingredients to what seemed like a spell concoction in the other as he chanted, "The keeper born once in thousand years, holds true powers to future soul. In the book of prophecies unite, the destiny of the keeper shall unfold."

While he chants the most familiar spell ever heard, light filled the capsule chamber and mist was released from around Sam as she looks at them in disbelief.

"Sam!" I yelled. "NO!"

Whatever I feared was going to happen. The love of my life taken away from me. Just like anyone else that had left me. And it was all because of one person. Pete.

"AHHH!" I charged towards my nemesis with the strength of nine tigers and at the speed of leopards. But with a raise of the hand, a stroke of lightning appeared before me and crashed against the ground. The power of the lightning was tremendous, not like anything I had ever seen. But I was sure of one thing – Pete has crossed the line.

"No one can stop me now!" he laughed. "Your beloved little girlfriend is gone for good! You'll never get her back! Hahahah..."

Just then, a blonde came from behind and hit Pete in the head with a carton of milk. Wow, I guess he didn't see _that_ coming. She looked at me before she continued with the fight, "I told you I could knock his teeth out with a carton of milk!"

Wait, where have I heard that before? Sam? But if Sam is here, who's the blonde in the capsule? Oh no, Melanie...

As soon as Sam untied me while ensuring that Pete was unconscious, I moved to help Melanie. With the push of a button, the doors of the chamber were opened, leaking out the mist that surrouded her as her silhouette became clearer and clearer, revealing her frail body. Although she was unharmed from the spell, she looked frail from the exposure to the mist.

"Did you think that you could fool me and make use of my powers to bring you into the future? Please... I may not ace my studies, but I'm not dumb," I heard Sam talking to Pete. I'm guessing he was still blurry from the milk carton hitting his head, but he seemed to be regaining consciousness pretty fast.

In the blink of an eye, Pete was up and running again. He looked Sam in the eyes with raised eyebrows as he questioned, "But how?"

Sam smirked and replied, "Melanie knew all about this. Did you think that she would really harm her own sister?"

I know you are quite confused right now. Who and what is Sam? I heard this story from my mother who passed away due to Pete's evil deeds. Well, the story dates back to the medieval times...

There once was an enchantress who brought the elements of fire, water, light and dark together. These elements were bonded with each other even if they were the total opposites. However, when the elements of air and earth joined in the group, dark grew jealous and decided to device a plan to destroy the other elements, leaving only him and light surviving as the enchantress's elements.

When the enchantress knew about the plans of the dark element, she banished him to planet Earth, where he would have to learn to get along with the elements before he would be able to join them and reinstate harmony in the land. As she sent him on his way, she sent the element of light along with him. The element of light would serve as a portal to bring the dark element back to the enchantress if he fails to live in harmony with the rest of the elements as well as people around him.

Every thousand years, a new pair of dark and light elements would be born on Earth, replacing the past pair of elements. This cycle would repeat itself until the dark element learns to live in harmony with the rest of the elements. And, the dark element that we're facing right now is Pete, while the light element is Sam.

I know you would probably ask – How did you know? From the first day I met Pete, I noticed the cloud-shaped birthmark on his arm and asked my mother about it. It was then that I was told of the story. But that's not all. I noticed that Sam had a similar one too, but hers was in the shape of the Sun. And that was when I knew that Sam would have to face Pete one day.

Now, let's get back to the story, shall we?

So, I left off at the part where Pete woke up. Well, he was shocked when he realized that he was tricked. But I was just surprised that he didn't decide to take any action for it.

"I..." he started as he broke down. "I'm sorry."

We were all shocked at his apology. I've never seen Pete so soft before. He seemed really sorry when he suddenly broke down like that. But should I believe him? After all he has done?

A/N: Hey all! If you're confused about the entire story, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't plan this real well. But I thank you all for bearing with me and reading through this. I actually didn't intend to make this too fantasy-like, but ever since I heard a story from a friend about different elements coming together and stuff, I thought about my current storyline and decided to add in a little fantasy detail.

While I was writing, I realized that there wasn't a fairy-godmother in here, so I found it kind of weird, being a Cinderella fic and all... So, there goes... But anyway, if you would like to continue 'iGet Starstruck' for me or adapt it, feel free to do it. I've decided to abandon it. I'm sorry to those who have looked forward to the ending. Apologies.


	20. iKnow You

Sam's POV

Pete looked at me, seeming pathetic but regretful. Should I let him go just like that?

"Will you guys please forgive me?" he pleaded. "I promise that I would never do evil ever again!"

Freddie nodded as I turned away from him. As soon as Melanie regained consciousness, she looked behind me and gave a shriek. I looked behind me as I saw Pete holding a dagger, eyes filled with rage and anger. But he wasn't aiming at me.

"Hah!" Pete was backstabbing Freddie. As in, literally.

The moment I realized what Pete was doing, I immediately stretched my arms out towards him, fists aiming at him and a surge of energy went towards his body. As I saw him frozen in place with Freddie shocked at the sight, I looked at my hands. There was blue energy thingies surrounding my hands. In a matter of seconds, they were gone along with the shock from the situation.

"What's happening?" Pete was frozen there, with white light glowing from within him. Although I was still new to these powers, but I'm sure that I wasn't that powerful to form a white aura thingy around Pete. With a horrifying shriek, the white aura left Pete, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

"It's the dark element!" Freddie recognized it straight away. "It's getting away!"

"Not on my watch," I said as I grabbed the nearest glass jar and leaped into the air, trapping the white aura into the jar. "Got it!" I smiled proudly.

Pete regained consciousness and looked over at me. "Who are you?" he asked.

"He must've forgotten everything that happened while he was controlled by the dark element which was driven by his rage," Freddie explained. "Just like how you froze the element and forced him out of Pete when you were trying to save me."

"Freddie," Pete seemed to recognize him. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

Freddie laughed for a second before attending to Pete, explaining all that had happened in the past few years, leaving Pete surprised that he had missed out on the action. Throughout the conversation, I held onto the now captured dark element, keeping an eye on him and making sure that he doesn't escape ever again.

Now that Pete is free from the dark element's control, he sure seemed a whole lot better than usual. When he smiles, his face brightens up with passion and sincerity, unlike what he used to be.

That night, before I went to bed, I placed the jar containing the dark element at my bedside. I stretched and yawned as I looked at the contents of the jar closely. It seemed to be less tired than me, as he stood there, unhappy about being held in captivity.

"Well," I stated. "This is what you get for harming so many people."

He stuck his tongue out at me and hit the glass jar, hoping it would break. "It's no use," I laughed at his determination. "No matter how you try to escape, the glass is too strong to be broken."

I switched off the lights and went to bed, making fun of the element as I climbed on the bed. Soon, I fell asleep.

"Samantha..." a voice was calling for me. "Samantha Puckett..."

"Who's that?" I asked. "And no one calls me Samantha except for my mum!"

A white figure stood in front of me when I turned around. After a closer look, I was sure she was a female. "Who are you?"

"Samantha," the lady smiled gently; so gently that I calmed down as fast as anyone could say 'Yakimaniac'. "I'm Lady Marissa, the enchantress who brought the elements together."

Wait a sec, doesn't Freddie have a mother named Marissa? "Were you the voice in my head that told me not to go with Pete on that little date?"

"Yes, my dear," she replied, smiling still ever so friendly. "I'm sure you know my son too."

So my guess was right, she's Freddie's mother. "You're Fredward Benson's mother?"

She nodded slowly. "I'm glad I didn't send the light element to the wrong body. You sure are smart."

"Of course, but why did you come down to Earth just like me and Pete did?" I asked. "I mean, weren't you afraid that Pete will kill you for sending him down here?"

"I'm no mortal," she said. "I came down to Earth with the intention of keeping an eye on you and Pete, hoping that you would be able to teach the little element a lesson. Right after Pete was born, I made my way down here so that I would be able to watch over him as I await for your birth."

"But aren't we supposed to be born at the same time?" I asked. "Since the light and the dark are..."

"No, my dear," she interrupted me, but kindly and gently. "You cannot be born at the same time. There would be imbalance as you are both on conflict with each other. Anyway, on with the story. As I watch over Pete, I met the king who was in terrible danger. I managed to cure him with my magic, though I lied to him that I was practising medicine, and at that moment when our eyes met, we..."

"You guys fell in love?" I tried to complete he sentence.

She giggled. "That's when I decided to stay on Earth for the rest of my life living as a mortal. Even though he lied to me that he was the Grand Duke instead of a prince, I knew from the start about his identity. I once thought of using that excuse to leave him and return to my rightful place here, but our love was too strong."

"Then?" I motioned for her to continue.

"Then," she continued with her story. "We got married. Soon after, little Fredward was born. In the same year, you were born too. So, I waited till you were more matured before returning up here."

I was puzzled. "But Freddie told me that you died."

"Actually," she explained. "I am no mortal. I can never die. I only took the chance when Pete tried to kill me to return here. I may have missed them alot, but I still have duties here as enchantress. So now, as enchantress of the milky way, I thank you for providing assistance in teaching the dark element a lesson and bringing him back here to us."

Lady Marissa waved her wand and I felt a tingling sensation in me for a few seconds, before feeling normal again.

"Thank you," she said. "But please, don't tell Fredward about our little conversation, will you? I want him to think of me as the queen of Earth, not the enchantress of the milky way."

"Sure," I replied.

"My gratitude is to you," and with that, I felt myself falling down... falling... down...

"Ouch!" I made a sound after falling from my bed. Sigh... it was all a dream. But as I looked up at my bedside, the jar and the element are gone. I smiled, climbing back up onto my bed and falling asleep again...

A/N: The end of this fanfic is nearing... But after that, I would be writing a new one. It would most probably have something to do with Rapunzel. Hmm... I hope that you liked this chapter. Look forward to the next chapter where there will be an awesome twist :D See you next week!


	21. iFear

Freddie's POV

It had only been a week since we managed to capture the dark element which had been living in Pete for years. But somehow, it felt as though years have passed since I last saw Sam. I really want to see her ocean blue eyes, which melt my heart everytime, that hair of hers that seems to sparkle brighter than the evening sky. Even though my heart yearns to meet her, I have to help my friend Gibby to prepare for his wedding with Carly.

"Fredster," Gibby called for me as I stared into blank space. "You okay?"

I nodded, "I'm fine. Just, thinking about some stuff."

"Don't worry about Sam," he smiled. "No matter how soft and weak women look, they always have this tough exterior around them that keeps them going."

"Thanks, Gib," my face brightens up as I reads the time on my watch. "It's time to pay a little visit to your beloved bride. Come on, let's go."

Since Pete was still new to the environment, we thought we would ask him to tag along with us. We wouldn't want people to get lost in the palace.

"Freddie," Pete noticed the bright smile on my face. "You mentioned once that Miss Samantha has a twin sister, Melanie, right?"

"Yeah," I smirked when I remembered the time when I found it hard to believe it when Sam told me she had a twin sister. "You... interested in her?"

"No, no..." Pete blushed as he pretended to laugh, trying as hard as he could to hide his feelings. "That's ridiculous! How can I like someone so..."

"Beautiful?" I looked at his face as it softens at the mention of her.

"Not just that," he calmed down a little. "She's smart, she's wonderful, she's talented, I mean, she can speak ten different languages and dance like a princess! She's all I can never have..."

I grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How can you be so sure of that?"

"Did you see her face when she looked at me that night?" he became anxious again. "She looked at me as though I was a monster!"

"That's because she still had the impression that you were under the dark element's control," I tried to comfort him. "Don't worry too much about it. Everything's going to be fine! Just tell her that you like her and ask her out to the masquerade ball tomorrow night."

He smiled, still looking upset though.

As I looked out the window of the carriage, a thought came to me – Maybe I can ask Sam to be my date for the masquerade ball tomorrow? Since the ball will be celebrating Carly and Gibson's wedding, she can't say no to going, right? But there's still one thing I'll be worrying about. What if she doesn't want to go _with me_?

Sam's POV

"Sam!" I heard a voice from behind the door. "Freddie's come to look for you!"

"No," I said. "Prince Gibson and the guys are coming to bring you to their castle for the wedding tomorrow, not coming here for me."

"But Sam," Carly pleaded. "Please, for me?"

"No!" I yelled as I pulled my pillow over my ears, muting any sounds from 'the outside world'.

All I heard from then on were muffled voices, both soft and loud as well as a few shuffling sounds from people walking behind the door. Just as I was about to give my final warning when I turned around, a familiar face was looking down at me.

"Freddie," I was speechless. How did he get in here? I looked behind him where Carly was holding the keys to the door. She must have duplicated my room keys when I let her in my room!

"Sam," the prince looked at me as he sat on my bed. "Why didn't you open the door?"

I looked away from him, "I didn't want anything to do with you."

Freddie's expression changed from a caring one to a disappointed look. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but I had to, so that I wouldn't get hurt again.

"But I thought Melanie already explained everything to you. It was because of..." I interrupted him as he tried to ask.

"I said," I continued with my statement. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

"But Sam," Freddie held my arms as I was about to throw my pillow at him. "What did I do wrong?"

I looked at him, tears welling up my eyes as I remembered the time when he left me for my twin sister. Though he had no choice, but my heart had already been broken. "You broke my heart, and there's no way you can reverse it."

He was shocked at my statement. I could tell when he looked me in the eyes and saw my fear of being hurt again. "Sam... Can you, give me another chance?"

"No," I replied as I looked away once again. "The damage has been done." My arms struggled to be free from his grasp, wiping the tears away from my eyes and returning to lying on my side away from him, pretending not to hear anything as my hands were covering my ears.

"Please," Freddie pleaded. "Please let me have another chance. I'll do anything."

As Freddie looked at my back with desperate eyes, I decided to give him one more chance. "It's the last chance."

"Yes," his eyes were full of hope.

"If you fail this, you will _never_ come find me _ever_ again," I stated the rules.

"Okay," he was totally confident. "But if I win, we'll be together again, right?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"So..." he motioned for me to continue.

"Carly and Gibby's masquerade ball is tomorrow night," I stated the deal. "Since it's a masquerade, everyone gets to wear masks so that others don't recognize them. However, if you manage to find me within the mass of people..."

"Piece of cake," he said confidently. "I'll just have to find you at the ball tomorrow night, right?"

I continued with my instructions. "But it's not that easy. You'll have until midnight to find me."

"Sure thing," he replied. "So, I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"We'll see..." I mumbled to myself as he left my room, smiling confidently.

Somehow, half of my heart wishes that he would be able to find me in that crowd. The other half of me doesn't want to be found. Is it because I don't want to risk getting hurt again? Or that I don't want to lose him?

A/N: Hey all! Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapter! You guys are just so amazing and rocking awesome! Oh, and there's only three more weeks before the end of November, where I will officially delete 'iGet Starstruck'. If anyone wants to take over the story, PM me. The offer is still on! Thanks!


	22. iAm Not Sure

Sam's POV 

Should I go to the masquerade ball? What if he finds me? What if he doesn't?

Just as I was deep in my thoughts, Melanie came by and sat beside me. She was sipping on a blueberry bang smoothie.

"Sam," Melanie called. "Are you okay? You seem troubled."

"You've been asking me the same question since we walked in to Groovy Smoothie's," I stated, annoyed by her constant questioning. "How many times do you want me to tell you that I'm fine?"

Melanie looked down, seeming upset. I felt kind of guilty for doing that. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but I guess it's something that I'm good at doing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, I..."

"It's okay," she smiled. "I shouldn't have been probing when I already know that you were having a bad day."

Sometimes, it's great having a 'mirror pal'. Whenever you're feeling down, looking at the smile that seemed to fit so nicely on your twin makes you wanna own that smile too. It's like a live preview of what you would look like when you smile. It makes you want to smile too, and that's what I did.

Seeing the smile on my face, Melanie decided not to ask anymore. We sat at the table and drank our smoothies till the last drop is safe in our tummies. All was quiet, until Terence came and asked if we wanted some food on a stick.

It was strange how Terrence preferred selling food on a stick to placing them on a plate. I once tried fried chicken on a stick. It didn't taste any different from what it tastes like on a plate. Okay, fine. Maybe I did eat it too fast. But that doesn't mean that I can't taste the difference. All I can say is that Mama knows her meat, and I know that Terrence has a weird way of selling food.

"For the last time, NO!" I snapped at Terrence.

"Okay, okay," Terrence walked away. "Geez..."

Later that night, before we went to bed, I decided to have a little talk with Melanie. Since Carls left for the castle, only Melanie was left for me to talk to. Well, I wouldn't be talking to my mom after she yelled at me in the afternoon and told me to get a job.

"Mel," I motioned for her to sit beside me. "Can we have a talk?"

"Sure," she smiled.

I sighed. "I made a deal with Freddie yesterday."

"The one about giving him a second chance with your relationship, right?" Melanie asked. "I heard about it from Carlerella."

"Oh," I said. "I guess that'll save me from the explainations then."

"So," she probed. "What did you want to talk about?"

I sighed again. "The thing about the deal between Freddie and me... I don't know if I should go to the ball tomorrow night..."

Melanie placed her hand over her mouth which was shaped like an 'O' and did that dramatic 'Oh-no' look that always killed me. "What do you mean? I thought you agreed to it and..."

"Mel," I tried to snap her out of that panicky tone she had. "I did agree to let him have a second chance. But I'm just not sure about it."

She looked at me, then down at her laps. "It's about those stuff that happened between Freddie and me, isn't it? Oh, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have made him do all those nasty things. If those things never happened, you would not be having such thoughts anymore. It's all my fault."

"No, no," I felt guilty making Melanie feel bad about it. "It's not your fault. It's me. I just felt insecure being around Freddie, since the damage had already been done."

Melanie placed her hands on mine. "My dear little sister, you have to understand that Freddie didn't have a choice when he did those things to you. It wasn't his fault. I was the one who forced him to do it. You should have seen his face when you walked away with Pete that day. He looked so hurt, fragile, misunderstood..."

"I understand, Mel," I assured her. "But I just don't know if I should really let him have another chance. I don't have that faith in him anymore. What if we break up again after we get together?"

"Sam," Melanie took my hand in hers. "You should know better that Freddie is not such a person. He is a man of his word. If he would break up with you, he would have a reason for it."

I looked into her eyes, trying to let the words sink in, but it just didn't work. "I don't know. What if..."

"And another thing," she interrupted me. "If you never try, you will never know." With that, she left my bedroom, leaving me sitting on my bed, thinking about our entire conversation.

**Freddie's POV**

The night of the masquerade ball has finally come! I'm sure I'll be able to find Sam, I'm just sure of it. She's petite, blonde, likes to stand out from the crowd and she is the most beautiful... Wait, how am I going to find her in this mass of people? There are thousands of people here, all wearing masks! And about two-thirds of them are blonde, half of them with a petite body. How would I know which one is the one I've been looking for?

I looked at the bell-tower. It said eight-thirty. I still got time.

"Freddie!" my father's voice was loud and clear as though he had an amplifier or something. "Come here and meet the princesses of Bushwell!"

I turned around to face my father. "I'm sorry, father. But I'm looking for someone. I'll be back later!"

I could tell from my father's face that he wasn't very happy. The ladies that was supposed to be introduced to me don't seem pleased either. But I've got to find the girl of my dreams. The one that would hit me straight in the gut if I told her she was pretty or slap me across the face if I told her she was the only one for me. She was the one that I would often dream of holding, the girl that opened my eyes to a new world.

But how? How am I supposed to find her in this crowd? Sigh. This is going to be a _long_ night.

A/N: This is the official second-last chapter to the story. I'll be writing the last chapter real soon, but I can't guarantee anything. There's a huge competition coming up and I may be working on it for weeks. But still, I will be updating the last chapter very soon.

I would like to say Thank you to whenitrains7 for volunteering to continue with 'iGet Starstruck'. Offers are officially closed, unless if whenitrains7 decides to drop out of this... Hmm... Anyways, thanks to all who voted. If you would like to read more on 'iGet Starstruck', you can go to whenitrains7's profile and read new chapters soon.

Till then, be on the look-out for the last chapter of 'iAm the Stepsister'. It will be one of the most epic chapters yet! I promise!


	23. iAm Determined to Find Her

Freddie's POV

"It's now 10:25pm and I still haven't found Sam yet. I searched everywhere in the castle, but she was no where to be found! Maybe she was just... nah... Sam wouldn't do that, would she?" I said to myself as I was surrounded by tons of people.

"Hey Freddie," someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to find a blonde girl who looked so much like Sam.

"Sam?" I asked, hoping that my guess was correct.

She giggled. "Freddie, it's me. Melanie."

"Oh, hey Mel," I greeted her disappointedly. Since the entire Pete being evil thing had ended, I found no reason to hate her or anything. All she needed was someone to love her. "Wait, how did you manage to tell I am Freddie?"

"It's kind of easy to guess..." she looked at my outfit. I guess she still remembers what I wore on the last ball we attended.

I smiled. "I'm sorry I can't talk right now, I gotta go find somebody."

"Wait," she called out, placing her hand on my shoulder again. "You're looking for Sam, right?"

I gotta say, this girl's pretty smart.

"Well, yeah," was all I said to her. Then it struck me, maybe she would know where she was? Since they are twins, maybe she can use that twin-telepathy thing and find out where Sam was. "Do you know where she is?"

"I'm sorry," the hope in my eyes were lost. "But I do know where she _might_ be..."

My eyes lit up again. "Really? Can you tell me where?"

"Well," she started. "Have you tried paying a visit to our house? Or the castle's gardens?"

"But I thought that I was supposed to find her in the ballroom," I said.

She giggled. "Did Sam ever mention anything about having to search for her in the ballroom?"

I thought about it for a second before shaking my head in disappointment. "But I assumed that when she suggested searching her during the ball."

"Freddie," she smiled. "You know Sam, she's unpredictable when it comes to these things. When she strikes a deal, she would make sure that she would be the one benefitting. But even so, there are still ways to find her and beat her at her own game."

"Thanks Mel," I thanked her. She isn't so bad once you get to know her. "By the way, Pete was looking for you just now. He's probably near the buffet, wearing a white tux with a purple flower in the pocket."

Melanie blushes, getting the hint. "Bye!" we both bade our farewells and left to find our partners.

...And hour later...

"Oh man, there's only 35 more minutes till the time is up! Ahh... I looked everywhere! I even went to her house! Hey... Maybe I can see her form the stairway. There's a better view there," I mumbled to myself.

Just as I was about to make my way up to the stairway, I bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" she said, apparently not sorry for bumping into me. "This book is really precious and you can't afford to dirty it."

I took the precious book the girl was talking about as it landed beside me, almost being torn apart by shuffling feet on the dance floor. The book looked all too familiar to me. It read 'Prehistoric Prophecies'.

"Is this book yours?" I asked as I handed the book to the girl. She looked familiar with the body build and those mesmerizing eyes, but she was a brunette though. She couldn't have been Sam, could she? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you."

"You should be," she snapped. "Now make yourself disappear before I knock your teeth out with a carton of milk!"

Wait, a carton of milk? Where have I heard that from?

When she walked away, I spun her around and took off her mask. "Sam?" I was shocked with what she had done to herself. She looked totally different! She was wearing a blue dress with leopard prints down the skirt, a brown short wig and a mask that made her look more mysterious.

She tried to snatch the mask away from my hands, "Hey! No fair. The rules say that no one is supposed to remove their masks until the end of the ball!"

"Sam!" I made sure she looked right into my eyes. "It's me, Freddie."

"Freddie?" a look of hope appeared in her eyes, but it was soon covered by the look of disappointment.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I held her hand. "Don't you want me to find you?"

She looked away. "I'm sorry, Freddie. But I don't know anymore. Half my heart tells me that you're the one that I've been looking for, while the other tells me that I may just risk getting hurt again."

"Sam..." I looked into her ocean blue eyes. "Remember the day when I told you I loved you?"

She nodded. "On that very same day, I swore that I would never let anyone hurt you as long as I lived. Even though I was the one who hurt you after that, but I swear that I never intended to do it. You know how much I love you and how much I will for the rest of my life."

She looked at me again, with those glossy eyes that made my heart melt. "Sam, would you give me another chance?"

This time, she didn't look away or even hesitate. She had her arms around me and we were in bliss. The book that she held onto started glowing after that and people stopped dancing while creating a distance from us, leaving us in the middle of a huge circle of people.

A gold aura emerged as the pages of the book were flipped continuously. The gold aura then settled down into a more human form as it grew legs, arms, a head and a feminine body. The aura then took a step down on the ballroom floor.

"Lady Marissa," Sam seemed to recognize the golden aura.

As the aura took a more manly form, I recognized her that instant. "Mother..." I ran towards the now-human aura and tried to embrace her like a child hugging her mother after being lost. But it seemed impossible to lay a finger on her.

"I'm sorry, Fredward," she looked at me as I stared in confusion. "But I am not human, you can't touch me. I remain in spiritual form while I am here on earth."

Now that the kingdom has recognized mother as their queen, they kneeled down in respect while bowing down (still in kneeling position) to acknowledge their late queen. I could tell that they had a sense of fear in them as they have probably never seen a spirit before. But as for me, after encountering weird happenings with the Pete incident, I have long grown used to these minor paranormal activities.

"Please rise," said mother gently. "Samantha, Fredward, I am here to congratulate you both on finally deciding to be together. But I have a more important reason to be here."

"And what's that?" Sam asked.

"Is anyone of you by the name of Carlerella Shay?" mother asked. All of us looked at the 'just married' princess as she smiled awkwardly. Mother then floated (I really mean floated) to Carly. "You must be Carlerella. I have heard so much about you."

Carly looked a little scared. "Yes, I am er... honored to be... heard of so much... I guess." Wow, she's really nervous.

"Please Carlerella, there is someone that wants to meet you," mother told her. As soon as she said that, a silver aura appeared beside her. This time, the silver aura formed a male figure.

"Carly?" the male figure tries to recognize the princess. "Is that you?"

Carly seems to know this person as her eyes brightened up with joy. "Spencer?"

The male figure's hands formed fists as he thrusts his elbows backwards, looking as if he was a little boy who won a football match. "It's so great to see you!"

Sam's POV

Little Carls, wait, it should be Princess Carly. Anyway, our dear little princess found her elder brother, Spencer. I remember that guy. He used to be living in our house before my mom drove him away. She said that Spencer was a freeloader and would only cause trouble if he stayed in the house.

One day, we received news that Spencer passed away while he was somewhere out there. Carly was never allowed to leave the house unless if she had done her chores, so it was unlikely that she would be given permission to see Spencer for the last time. She was heartbroken that day she heard the news. She didn't eat for three days. But after a few days, she got over it.

"Thank you, Queen Marissa," she said as tears fell from her cheeks.

Later that night, when the clock striked 12, Freddie and I had the time of our lives. Since I'm not such a good dancer, he taught me how to move. After a few minutes of training, I was able to dance like a professional... well, almost.

Some say that dreams don't come true. Well, I say, "You never know until you try!"

THE END

A/N: So, Sam finally got her prince! Turns out the fortune teller was right... Hmm... Anyways, I would like to ask if you guys would want a sequel to this fic. I already have the story thought of, so it shouldn't be hard to write a sequel fic... Please go on to my profile to vote if you guys would like a sequel. Thank you all!

Oh, and don't forget, there's a new fic coming up! Stay tuned! Bye!


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